Last month Code Pink ran a campaign demanding that Twitter unblock the accounts of the people in charge of Venezuela’s COVID-19 response… Yesterday we heard that they did it!
At NCW we think it is important to show that public pressure can make a change.
Published on Code Pink, Apr 5, 2020
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Code Pink did it! Last month Code Pink ran a campaign demanding that Twitter unblock the accounts of those in charge of Venezuela’s COVID-19 response and it’s great to hear that the accounts are now unblocked and online again.
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On March 16, the same day the Venezuelan government issued a nationwide shelter-at-home order to stem the coronavirus infection rate, Twitter began systematically restricting the accounts of Venezuelan ministries, politicians, journalists, and institutions.
At least 44 accounts were suspended and Twitter was offering no answers.
The suspended accounts included Vice President Delcy Rodriguez’s personal @DrodriguezVen and institutional @ViceVenezuela accounts, as well as the Health Ministry, the Housing Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Science Ministry. Rodriguez is leading the government’s comprehensive response to the coronavirus; the four ministries are all key to guaranteeing its success.
The plan includes an online platform to track the health of Venezuelans (used by 11 million people so far), house-to-house visits of those with symptoms, free tests for those who potentially have the virus and free healthcare for those who test positive.
Code Pink did it! Twitter has unblocked the accounts of Venezuela’s COVID-19 response.
The Vice President, the Health Ministry and over 40 others are now back online, and Code Pink’s pressure helped!
