# Colombia government suspension of public media news > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/colombia-government-suspension-of-public-media-news > Updated: 2026-08-23T00:54:57.000Z. Sources: 27. Developments: 2. The government of President Abelardo de la Espriella has suspended news, opinion, and community programming across Colombia’s public media system. The directive specifically targets 20 ‘Emisoras de Paz’ (Peace Broadcasters) established under the 2016 Peace Agreement to promote reconciliation, as well as 11 decentralized stations of the National Radio of Colombia, affecting over 70 frequencies. The Ministry of TIC and Inravisión defended the measure as a necessary step to transform the media into a system that is ‘plural, independent, and transparent,’ alleging that previous programming served as a ‘propaganda apparatus’ for specific political interests. Following the order, the stations have transitioned to broadcasting exclusively musical content centralized from Bogotá. Inravisión has moved forward with the restructuring of content and the closure of the 20 regional peace radio stations. Local coordinators, such as Jessica Molano in El Tambo, Cauca, argue that this move constitutes a breach of the state's obligations under the Peace Agreement, noting that these stations serve as vital independent platforms for victims, social organizations, and ex-combatants. Critics and press freedom organizations, including FLIP, MOE, and Amarc, have denounced the move as a violation of the Peace Agreement and a threat to freedom of expression. The Defensoría del Pueblo has also condemned the decision, arguing it violates constitutional rights to information. The suspension affects over 460,000 people across 11 municipalities, including Bojayá and El Tambo. In response to the growing impact on community access to information, the Colombian Congress has called for a political control debate. ## Claims - Inravisión suspended the regular programming of 20 Peace Broadcasters (corroborated by 6 sources) - The Peace Broadcasters were established following the 2016 Peace Agreement (corroborated by 6 sources) - The stations replaced news and opinion content with music and centralized programming from Bogotá (corroborated by 6 sources) - The Defensoría del Pueblo and FLIP have called for a reevaluation of the suspension (corroborated by 2 sources) - The suspension affects more than 460,000 people in rural and vulnerable areas (corroborated by 2 sources) - The government claims the restructuring aims to transform the public media system into a plural and independent entity (corroborated by 2 sources) - The government accused the previous news programming of acting as a propaganda apparatus (corroborated by 2 sources) - The Colombian Congress has called for a political control debate regarding the measure (single source) ## Timeline ### 2026-08-23: Colombia suspends news programming for 20 Peace Broadcasters Colombia's government has suspended news programming on 20 Peace Broadcasters, replacing local information with music. Critics argue this violates the 2016 Peace Agreement and restricts information access. 11 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/inravisin-closes-20-regional-peace-radio-stations-in-colombia ### 2026-08-20: Colombia government suspends news programming for 20 Emisoras de Paz The Colombian government has suspended news programming for 20 Emisoras de Paz stations, replacing local content with music from Bogotá. Critics argue the move violates the 2016 Peace Agreement. 16 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/colombia-suspends-programming-for-20-peace-radio-stations --- Cite as: Colombia government suspension of public media news. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/colombia-government-suspension-of-public-media-news