CNN and BBC were taken off the air by Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s government as violent protests broke out in the South American country.
Spurred on by an early morning speech by interim President Juan Guaidó, demonstrators massed in the streets of Caracas demanding that Maduro relinquish control of the country.
As videos of the violence began to proliferate, CNN International was taken down after airing footage of gunfire and military vehicles running over protesters. A clip posted on social media purported to show the moment that the channel was pulled.
Momento exacto cuando el gobierno dictador saca del aire a CNN (en inglés) de la parrilla de programación por cable (canal 706) y censura aún más con Conatel.
¿Alguno tiene duda de que la libertad de expresión no existe en Venezuela? pic.twitter.com/WR0XReOWNW
— Jhomar Lóp[e]z (@JhomarLopez) April 30, 2019
In addition to CNN, BBC has also been forced off the air. A number of cable providers blocked the channels after receiving orders from the Venezuelan government regulator Conatel.
This is not the first time a CNN channel has been banned under Maduro’s dictatorship. Conatel ordered CNN en Español to be taken off the air in 2017 after CNN aired an investigation that painted the Maduro government in a bad light.
At a Tuesday press conference, national security adviser John Bolton addressed the delicate nature of the situation in Venezuela, and despite saying the United States is hopeful for a peaceful transition of power, said “all options” remain on the table.
