NGO Reporters without Borders (RSF) and a group of intellectuals Monday forwarded a letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy criticizing Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's policies, claiming he is restraining freedom in his country, the same day the Venezuelan ruler was scheduled to arrive in Paris.

Ahead of Chávez's visit to France, RSF secretary general Robert Ménard addressed a letter to Sarkozy reminding that Chávez has put many "obstacles" to press freedom during his government.

According to Ménard, Chávez "has shut up any critic or dissenting voice in order to phase out any form of opposition." He claimed an example of such restrictions is the closure of private TV network RCTV last May, Efe quoted.

Criticisms against Chávez were also aired Monday in an article published in daily newspaper Libération subscribed by a number of intellectuals such as authors Mario Vargas Llosa and Carlos Alberto Montaner and philosophers Bernard-Henri Lévy and André Glucksmann, among others.

Meanwhile, the World Association of Newspapers (WAN), published a report in Paris on the situation of freedom of expression in Venezuela. The group claimed that the press is facing an increasingly "disturbing" situation amidst the "legal restrictions" the "President Hugo Chávez's regime" has implemented or is preparing.