Censorship: teleSUR Taken Off Air in Ecuador

Satellite and cable companies, Directvla and TVCable in Ecuador, both of which require a subscription, have pulled the plug on the teleSUR news station.

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The move comes just as the national government under right-wing president, Lenin Moreno, declared a curfew and militarized the entire city of Quito, the nation's capital, starting at 3:00 p.m. local time.

Previously, Moreno banned the television station from its state media outlet, CNT. This is the first time it has been rendered off air for cable users.

Cable users are receiving a message on their screen: "Program not available due to programming restrictions" when they try to watch teleSUR.

TeleSUR President Patricia Villegas Marin tweeted of the censorship: "With no justification, our signal has been removed from satellite channel 722 and cable 626 in Ecuador." The president denounced the move and called on our users to demand to their tv service providers that teleSUR be put back on air.

Protesters have been out in Quito and across the country, shutting down highways for over a week in demonstration against the government's controversial 'decree 883' that ended fuel subsidies and reduced workers' rights as of Oct. 3.

The austerity measures are being implemented at the behest of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in exchange for a US$4.2 billion loan negotiated by the Moreno administration last March. At that time, the president's approval rating registered 17 percent.