Evo Morales Condemns “Authoritarian” Media Ban as Bolivia Cuts teleSUR, RT Broadcasts

(FILE) Bolivia’s former president Evo Morales. Photo: EFE.

January 20, 2026 Hour: 6:45 am

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Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has condemned the government’s removal of teleSUR and Russia Today from state broadcasts as an “authoritarian” act that sacrifices media pluralism and freedom of expression to U.S. pressure.

Following Bolivia’s removal of teleSUR and Russia Today (RT) from its state broadcast services, former President Evo Morales warned that the country is now living under an “authoritarian regime” that disregards media pluralism.

“This act constitutes a serious attack on the Constitution and a clear sign of submission and lack of dignity”, he wrote in a social media statement.

Morales attributed the move to external pressure, suggesting it followed instructions from the U.S. Government.

“It confirms that in Bolivia, freedom of expression and access to diverse information are not guaranteed,” he said, stressing that the measure reflects censorship and communication control. “Freedom of expression cannot be sacrificed to external pressure or to decisions that seek to homogenize thought”, the former Bolivian President affirmed.

Cumpliendo instrucciones del gobierno de Estados Unidos y vulnerando de manera flagrante los derechos a la información y a la comunicación del pueblo boliviano, el gobierno ha decidido censurar a las cadenas internacionales @teleSURtv y @ActualidadRT.
Este hecho constituye un… pic.twitter.com/k0U6aVhtvp
— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) January 19, 2026

Text reads: “Following the instructions of the U.S. Government and in flagrant violation of the information and communication rights of the Bolivian people, the government has decided to censor international channels @teleSURtv and @NewsRT. This act constitutes a serious attack on the Political Constitution of the State and a clear sign of submission and lack of dignity. It is an irrefutable proof that in Bolivia we live under an authoritarian regime, where plurality of information and freedom of expression are not respected.”

The right-wing administration of Rodrigo Paz removed teleSUR and RT from the state broadcaster citing alleged “administrative reasons.”

The Association of International Correspondents and the National Association of Bolivian Journalists issued a joint statement expressing concern and urging the government to respect freedom of expression.