Venezuela unblocks some censored news sites

Venezuela has unblocked some news sites that had been censored for years, its telecom regulator said Thursday, as US-backed political transition talks were set to resume.

Caracas censored hundreds of websites under president Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by US forces in January and replaced by interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.

Eight months after his ouster, Washington is backing dialogue between the interim government and parts of the opposition, although US President Donald Trump has ruled out elections in the near future.

The decision to unblock censored outlets came ahead of the second round of talks in Caracas, which are partly focusing on freedom of expression.

Also on Thursday, regime-loyal intelligence officers arrested an opposition figure who had recently returned from exile.

Telecom regulator CONATEL announced the "formal restoration of access to various national and international digital platforms and media outlets."

Digital rights group VE Sin Filtro verified access to 17 news sites through several internet providers.

At least 188 websites remain blocked, it said, including 79 news outlets.

Journalists and NGOs have spent years campaigning against censorship implemented by Maduro's administration, with users having to rely on a VPN to access blocked sites.

Deputy Communications Minister Gustavo Villapol said the decision aimed to end polarization.

"We can never again vilify people without having proof in hand; we cannot use communication for interests that are external to the vital meaning of our nation," he said on state television.

Luis Ernesto Blanco, editorial director of the previously blocked site Runrunes, likened Thursday's measure to an official acknowledgement that public debate had been stifled.

"They had censored them basically because they wanted to; there was no administrative ruling, no court order requiring it," he said.

Dinorah Figuera, head of the opposition delegation to the transition talks, called the decision "a first step."

"Many outlets are still missing, and they all have to come back, fully and permanently," she wrote on X.

Victor Amaya, whose online outlet TalCual was blocked in July 2024, voiced skepticism that all censored sites will become accessible again.

"Hopefully it doesn't turn out like it does with some prisoner releases, where they announce 100, but 60 or 70 are confirmed," he told AFP via WhatsApp, referring to Rodriguez's promise to release political prisoners.

Amaya hopes the change will lead to "a normalized communication environment."

"We've managed to hold on, we've managed to improvise, and we've made it this far alive," he said, adding that TalCual had lost 60 percent of traffic and significant advertising income.

The news site NTN24 earlier confirmed that its content was visible in Venezuela again, but later reported that access was intermittent, as did other outlets.

Meanwhile, former opposition mayor Javier Oropeza, who returned to Venezuela earlier this week after two years in exile, was arrested Thursday by agents from the Sebin intelligence service in the northwestern city of Barquisimeto.

Oropeza was formerly the mayor of Torres and was taken into custody after giving an interview to a local newspaper.

He was released after being detained for several hours.

Figuera said she had lodged a protest with the authorities who assured her that he would promptly be freed.

"We will be vigilant until it is fulfilled; all political prisoners must be released," she wrote on X.

After Maduro's widely disputed claim to victory in July 2024, many opposition figures fled the country, while others were imprisoned during a wave of repression.

Since Maduro's ouster, however, the crackdown has eased.