CNN, RCTV, NTN24, TV Azteca go dark in Venezuela

Following a widely criticised order from Conatel, pay-TV operators have been told to remove the four international signals from their line-ups across the country.

As has previously happened, Conatel has defended its decision citing the country’s law of social responsibility for media. In a public statement, it points out that the four TV channels have repeatedly been “distorting the truth, without proof, and attacking the sovereignty of Venezuela’s people and their institutions.” Conatel has also stated that it will block CNN’s online feed.

In addition to international reaction, the decision has been slated by the journalists’ union SNTP, which has organised demonstrations in front of Conatel’s headquarters in Caracas.

The controversial decision is the second recent move perceived as censorship against media which are said to be opposed to Nicolas Maduro’s Government. The relationship between Venezuela’s institutions and media companies have been deteriorating over the past three years.