Maduro blocks X in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a televised speech on Thursday accused Elon Musk of using the social network X to incite hatred and civil war. He also claimed that his political opponents were using X to fuel political unrest. Maduro suspended the social network in Venezuela for 10 days after Musk questioned the validity of Maduro’s claim that he won the July 28 presidential election. Election officials declared Maduro the winner but have not released voting tallies, and opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claims that he is the actual winner.

Where is Gonzalez? Gonzalez on Wednesday refused to appear before the country’s high court for a hearing connected to an election audit requested by Maduro. Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice on Monday ordered all the presidential candidates to attend hearings this week. Gonzalez chose not to attend over concerns for his safety and the legality of the proceedings. The government has arrested at least 1,260 protesters and opposition campaign workers, according to human rights organization Foro Penal. Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado have been in hiding for more than a week amid the arrests.

Dig deeper: Read Carlos Páez’s report in WORLD Tour explaining accusations of corruption in the lead-up to the Venezuelan election.