Distorted logo of the German propaganda outlet Deutsche Welle (DW). Photo: Straturka/File photo.
The Venezuelan Minister for Communication and Information Freddy Ñáñez denounced the German news outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) for the lies, defamation, and smear campaign it is carrying out, in its Spanish edition, against Venezuela. Ñáñez cited a DW news piece that claims “Venezuela is the second-most corrupt country in the world.” The claim originates with the NGO Transparency International, a purported corruption watchdog which was founded by the Washington, DC-based World Bank.
Through his social media accounts, Minister Ñáñez also questioned this Monday, March 4, DW’s complicity in covering up the genocide perpetrated by Israeli forces against the defenseless population of Palestine in the Gaza Strip.
In the DW “news piece,” the German government mouthpiece accused, without proof, “high-ranking” politicians in Venezuela of participating in the so-called Cartel of the Suns, which, according to Transparency International, is “a criminal network composed mainly of military personnel.” The name and alleged existence of this cartel has been used for decades to smear Chavismo and Venezuelan authorities. To date, no evidence of its actual existence has ever been produced.
¿Qué otra cosa hace @dw_espanol además de encubrir el genocidio en Gaza? Mentir, difamar y propagar el odio contra Venezuela. Dan asco sus bulos pero también da pena la pobreza de sus contenidos. Valga la denuncia. pic.twitter.com/oRKysCMPkQ
— Alfred Nazareth (@luchaalmada) March 4, 2024
“Their hoaxes are disgusting, but the poverty of their content is also sad. Excuse me for the redundancy,” wrote Ñáñez in his post.
For several weeks now, Minister Ñáñez has denounced campaigns promoted by international mainstream media against Venezuela. One of these came from the Voz Media outlet in the US, which, in an attempt to criminalize Venezuelan migrants, linked Venezuelan migrants to criminal gangs operating in the United States.
At that time, the minister of communication also warned that with paid bots and right-wing influencers, these outlets seek to build a narrative that falsely links Venezuelans with armed gangs that operate in the United States. The intensification of the smear campaign coincides with the upcoming Venezuelan presidential elections.
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Ñáñez asserted that the publication of this information is only an attempt to use Venezuelan migration to justify aggression against the country.
Furthermore, at the beginning of February, Ñáñez denounced the US outlets Voz de América (VOA) and Associated Press (AP) for distorting the content of a speech by President Nicolás Maduro. A week later, the outlets changed their reporting to remedy their mistakes. However, the damage had already been done.
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
