The Venezuelan government has ordered CNN en Español to be taken off the air immediately, accusing the Spanish-language network of misrepresenting the truth against the country’s government.
Venezuela’s National Commission of Telecommunications (Conatel) announced its decision on Wednesday, just days after CNN aired a report that angered the government. Viewers in Venezuela reported that the signal of CNN en Español could no longer be received.
Although the government did not point to a specific incident, a statement from Conatel accused CNN of misrepresenting and distorting the truth to undermine the country’s government. As such, the agency has ordered the immediate suspension of CNN en Español.
The statement did not specify whether the suspension is temporary or permanent.
Wednesday’s announcement came just days after CNN en Español reported on allegations that the Venezuelan Embassy in Iraq had sold passports and visas for thousands of dollars, including to people with alleged ties to terrorism. CNN said its reporting was the result of a year-long investigation.
The Venezuelan government has denied CNN’s reporting. President Nicolás Maduro, speaking on Sunday, expressed his desire for CNN to be “well away from here”, stating that media outlets such as CNN were ‘manipulating information’.
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