Venezuela unblocks selected news websites following interim presidential order

Technical orders and restored access

On 17 September 2026, Venezuela's National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) issued technical directives ordering domestic internet service providers to restore public access to previously restricted national and international digital news outlets. The agency acted on direct instructions from interim President Delcy Rodríguez following recommendations from the Program for Peace and Democratic Conscience. Restorations began during the early hours of Thursday morning as websites became accessible without virtual private networks (VPNs). The initial group of unblocked outlets included El Pitazo, Efecto Cocuyo, Runrunes, AlbertoNews, Caraota Digital, Crónica Uno, El Estímulo, Monitoreamos, Spanish news agency EFE, and Colombian magazine Revista Semana. Opposition representative Paola de Alemán of Primero Justicia described the experience of accessing uncensored digital news:

Entering the computer, opening the browser and reading the news without restriction. We recovered something we should never have lost. Step by step... towards freedom!

Digital monitoring and remaining blockages

Independent digital monitoring organizations recorded immediate changes in network connectivity across Venezuelan telecommunications infrastructure. The Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) and non-governmental organization Espacio Público detected significant reductions in access anomalies for domains including TalCual, El Carabobeño, IPYS Venezuela, La Patilla, and Infobae. Digital rights organization VE Sin Filtro, operating under Conexión Segura y Libre, verified 16 unblocked domains by Thursday midday. However, the organization documented that 188 domains remained blocked on Venezuelan networks at that time, including 79 specific news portals. Outlet El Nacional announced that its website and roughly 200 other portals remained inaccessible, while high anomaly rates persisted for VPItv, Sumarium, NTN24, and Venezuela Al Día.

Diplomatic talks and institutional reactions

The partial lifting of digital censorship coincides with the third round of formal political negotiations between the Venezuelan government and an opposition delegation representing the 2015 National Assembly. Opposition leader Dinorah Figuera, who heads the delegation in talks aimed at establishing a new institutional framework by December 2026, welcomed the unblocking while demanding complete access across all platforms.

Many media outlets are still missing, and they must all be accessible again without restriction and permanently.

The diplomatic initiative follows the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by United States authorities in January 2026. Leonardo Trechi, chief executive officer of VPITV, attributed progress in digital access to negotiations pushed by the National Assembly alongside United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio. From Geneva, Sofía Macher, head of the United Nations fact-finding mission on human rights in Venezuela, noted that broader legal constraints and reporter detentions continue despite the initial digital measures.

Not all lines were unblocked that should have been unblocked.