FWIS3

In one of Bolívar's most morally dubious acts, Bolívar and the others arrested and handed Miranda over to the Spanish Royal Army. Bolívar claimed afterwards that he wanted to shoot him as a traitor but was restrained by the others; Bolívar's reasoning was that "if Miranda believed the Spaniards would observe the treaty, he should have remained to keep them to their word; if he did not, he was a traitor to have sacrificed his army to it." Ironically, it was by handing over Miranda to the Spanish that Bolívar assured himself a passport from the Spanish authorities (passports which, nevertheless, had been guaranteed to all republicans who requested them by the terms of the armistice), which allowed him to leave Venezuela unmolested.

Mr Maduro also lashed out against the coverage of the protests by foreign news organisations.

"Enough war propaganda, I won't accept war propaganda against Venezuela. If they don't rectify themselves, out of Venezuela, CNN, out," he said.

A spokeswoman for the US network, only available on cable in Venezuela, told the BBC it did not have any immediate comments about Mr Maduro's comments.

Last week, the government removed Colombian TV news channel NTN24 from channels offered by Venezuelan cable operators.

The government has been highly critical of international media coverage, while protesters say they are concerned with a lack of media freedom, says the BBC's correspondent in Caracas, Irene Caselli.

Mr Maduro also ordered the expulsion of three US diplomats this week.

US President Barack Obama said the Venezuelan government should address "legitimate grievances" of the country instead of "making up false accusations" against US officials.