CNN Former Host to Work with Venezuela’s Opposition

Mexican journalist Fernando del Rincon, who until yesterday was a host for CNN in Spanish, has been appointed as press director of San Cristobal municipality and advisor of the separatist movements of Tachira in Venezuela, the Tachira governor Jose Vielma Mora posted on Twitter on Saturday.

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While Vielma is a member of the governing United Socialist Party of Venezuela, the mayor of San Cristobal city is an opposition leader. Patricia de Ceballos, the mayor, is the wife of Daniel Ceballos, the previous mayor, who was found guilty of disobeying a High Court order to remove violent barricades by the opposition, and for instigating violence.

“Fernando Del Rincon was the spokesperson for the terrorist and manipulative information by the international press about the “guarimbas” in Venezuela,” said Vielma, referring to the violent protests carried out by the opposition in the South American country.

Del Rincon visited Venezuela earlier this year to cover the violent events promoted by the Venezuelan right wing. He also covered the municipal election in San Cristobal, when Patricia de Ceballos was elected. 

The former CNN journalist has not given any statement about his appointmet so far, however he posted yesterday on his Twitter account that any action by the Venezuelan government will not “silence him.”

Further, the U.S. news network released an official statement announcing that the Mexican journalist was leaving, saying the executives couldn’t reach an agreement to renew Del Rincon’s new contract.

The announcement came just hours after the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced a plot against his government in which he directly accused CNN, El Nuevo Herald and the Colombian channel NTN24.

Del Rincon has been one of the most critical journalists of Maduro’s government. During his Wednesday show he interviewed the Cuban-Venezuelan actress Maria Conchita Alonso after the Venezuelan government declared that it had begun the process of stripping Alonso of her citizenship for asking for an international and military intervention against the country.