The director of the site Código Venezuela, journalist Milagros Socorro, announced that hackers attacked her blog, Twitter and e-mail accounts in retaliation for criticizing President Chavez's communications ministry, reported the website La Patilla.

Socorro rebuked Minister Andrés Izarra after he accused a foreign correspondent of being unethical and disrespectful to authorities at a press conference in the capital Caracas, reported the Press and Society Institute (IPYS in Spanish).

Hackers changed her profile image on Twitter to a bar of soap with the headline, "wash out your mouth" in regards to her comments, reported IPYS.

The attack was attributed to the group N33, responsible for other cyber-attacks against critics of the Chávez administration, including journalists.

While Freedom House included Venezuela on the list of countries where the Internet is under threat, the Venezuelan government insists its objective is to improve public access to the web, not limit it.