Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Thursday that access to social media platform X had been blocked in South America for 10 days following the country’s disputed presidential election.
Maduro signed a resolution, presented by regulator Conatel, to block access to X and accused Musk of inciting hate, civil war, and death.
“X get out of Venezuela for 10 days!” he said in a speech which was broadcast on state television, according to Reuters.
This came after the Venezuelan president and Tesla chief Elon Musk engaged in a series of verbal exchanges, with the later comparing former to a donkey and Maduro blaming X owner for fueling protests and dissent following the election.
They have also challenged each other to fight via comments on X and Venezuelan state television. This temporary ban on X is another move against big tech, following Maduro’s call for supporters to abandon WhatsApp in favor of Telegram or WeChat, claiming that the messaging app was being used to threaten the families of soldiers and police officers.
Venezuela’s electoral authority proclaimed Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential election with some 51% of the vote, although it has yet to produce the voting tallies.
This declaration led to widespread accusations of fraud and protests, which were promoted across social media. The Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict reports that at least 23 people have been killed in these protests, as per the Reuters.
The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, claims to have copies of the voting tallies showing that Gonzalez won the election with more than 7 million votes, compared to Maduro’s 3.3 million votes, a result similar to that predicted by independent exit polls. Several countries, including the US, Argentina, and Chile, have refused to recognize Maduro’s claimed victory and have called for transparency and the publication of the voting tallies. China and Russia, however, have congratulated Maduro on his victory.
Venezuelan security forces have launched a crackdown on what authorities say are violent criminals, with Maduro touting more than 2,000 arrests. Advocacy groups, however, claim that those arrested are peaceful demonstrators being targeted for repression.
Brian A Nichols, assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs for the US state department, stated on X, “The voices of Venezuelan voters will not be silenced by repression, censorship, or disinformation. The world is watching.”
The foreign ministers of Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil have reiterated calls for Venezuela’s electoral authority to publish the vote tallies in a joint statement. This statement followed comments by Machado, who called on Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to impress upon Maduro that his best option is to negotiate with the country’s opposition.
Maduro signed a resolution, presented by regulator Conatel, to block access to X and accused Musk of inciting hate, civil war, and death.
“X get out of Venezuela for 10 days!” he said in a speech which was broadcast on state television, according to Reuters.
This came after the Venezuelan president and Tesla chief Elon Musk engaged in a series of verbal exchanges, with the later comparing former to a donkey and Maduro blaming X owner for fueling protests and dissent following the election.
They have also challenged each other to fight via comments on X and Venezuelan state television. This temporary ban on X is another move against big tech, following Maduro’s call for supporters to abandon WhatsApp in favor of Telegram or WeChat, claiming that the messaging app was being used to threaten the families of soldiers and police officers.
Venezuela’s electoral authority proclaimed Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential election with some 51% of the vote, although it has yet to produce the voting tallies.
This declaration led to widespread accusations of fraud and protests, which were promoted across social media. The Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict reports that at least 23 people have been killed in these protests, as per the Reuters.
The opposition, led by Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez, claims to have copies of the voting tallies showing that Gonzalez won the election with more than 7 million votes, compared to Maduro’s 3.3 million votes, a result similar to that predicted by independent exit polls. Several countries, including the US, Argentina, and Chile, have refused to recognize Maduro’s claimed victory and have called for transparency and the publication of the voting tallies. China and Russia, however, have congratulated Maduro on his victory.
Venezuelan security forces have launched a crackdown on what authorities say are violent criminals, with Maduro touting more than 2,000 arrests. Advocacy groups, however, claim that those arrested are peaceful demonstrators being targeted for repression.
Brian A Nichols, assistant secretary for western hemisphere affairs for the US state department, stated on X, “The voices of Venezuelan voters will not be silenced by repression, censorship, or disinformation. The world is watching.”
The foreign ministers of Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil have reiterated calls for Venezuela’s electoral authority to publish the vote tallies in a joint statement. This statement followed comments by Machado, who called on Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to impress upon Maduro that his best option is to negotiate with the country’s opposition.