Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela expelled a director of Human Rights Watch after the group issued a report charging President Hugo Chavez's government is restricting its opponents political freedoms to help consolidate power.

Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, violated the Venezuelan constitution by ``attacking Venezuela's democratic institutions,'' according to an e-mailed statement from the Foreign Ministry.

``That's enough,'' Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said, according to a statement from the Information Ministry. ``Anyone who wants to interfere in our system and undermine our institutions from within will get the same response.''

State television broadcast footage of government officials entering Vivanco's hotel room last night, forcing him to pack his bags, and taking him to the Caracas airport. Human Rights Watch has been a long-time critic of the Chavez government, last year denouncing his decision not to renew the broadcast license for Radio Caracas Television, then the country's most popular television network.

The Venezuelan government also expelled Daniel Wilkinson, the deputy director of the Human Rights Watch Americas division and a U.S. citizen. Vivanco is a Chilean citizen.

`Descent'

The Human Rights Watch report, which was released yesterday, said that Chavez controls the courts, has increased state control on free speech and is undercutting workers' rights to organize, among other charges.

``Chavez's expulsion of Human Rights Watch's team is further evidence of Venezuela's descent into intolerance,'' said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, according to an e-mailed statement. ``Chavez may have kicked out the messenger, but he has only re-enforced the message - civil liberties in Venezuela are under attack.''

Vivanco and Wilkinson were intercepted at their hotel last night, according to the Human Rights Watch statement. Authorities confiscated their mobile phones and didn't allow them to contact their embassies.

Chavez may have kicked out the human right leaders as a ploy to rev up his political base ahead of November state and city elections, said Elsa Cardozo, an international studies professor at the Universidad Metropolitana in Caracas.

Information Minister Andres Izarra convened a street march in Caracas of government backers to show support for the expulsion.

Envoys

Chavez also expelled the U.S. ambassador to Caracas last week in a show of support for his ally, Bolivian President Evo Morales who had expelled the U.S envoy to La Paz, charging he had helped fan a violent, internal crisis.

The socialist leader has threatened to cut off oil sales to the U.S. if it tries to attack Venezuela, the biggest exporter of crude oil in the Western Hemisphere.

``This is the pattern of authoritarian governments that don't accept national scrutiny, let alone international scrutiny,'' Cardozo said. ``You cannot stop selling the U.S oil, so you make a lot of noise by expelling the ambassador and a human rights representative. It pleases the base.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Jose Orozco in Caracas at jorozco8@bloomberg.net; Matthew Walter in Caracas at mwalter4@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 19, 2008 15:38 EDT