CPJ, partners document Venezuela’s intensified repression of journalists in new report
Venezuela has seen a sharp rise in journalist repression following the disputed July 28 reelection of President Nicolás Maduro amid fraud allegations, according to a new report published by the Committee to Protect Journalists with seven other press freedom groups. The report details a heightened environment of fear, stigmatization, and criminalization of independent voices, creating “news deserts” where millions…
In post-election Venezuela, journalist jailings reach record high, media goes underground
Shortly after Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in July, security agents arrested journalist Ana Carolina Guaita and then contacted her family to make a deal. They offered to release Guaita if her mother, Xiomara Barreto, who worked on the opposition campaign to defeat President Nicolás Maduro, turned herself in. Barreto, who is in hiding, rejected the…
CPJ, #KeepItOn partners call on Venezuela to end digital shutdowns
Mexico City, September 3, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists and #KeepItOn coalition partners have called on Nicolás Maduro’s government to stop imposing internet shutdowns and blocking essential communication platforms in Venezuela in response to post-election protests. After Maduro was declared the winner of the July 28 presidential contest, authorities shut down the internet and blocked…
Journalist shot, 2 detained as Venezuela cracks down on election protest coverage
Bogotá, August 2, 2024—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Venezuelan authorities to allow the media to report safely on protests over President Nicolás Maduro’s widely disputed claim to have won the country’s July 28 presidential election. Government security forces shot and injured one journalist and arrested six others—two of whom remain in detention—while…
In Venezuela, restrictions and self-censorship limit coverage of opposition ahead of election
Antonio Di Giampaolo has hosted his popular radio news program En el Aire, Spanish for “On the Air,” for nearly 40 years. On May 17, Di Giampaolo planned to broadcast an interview with opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González, but executives at the station Éxitos 93.1 FM in the western city of Maracay nixed the plan with no explanation, according to the journalist. “I had…
Venezuelan prosecutor accuses investigative Armando.Info of corruption
Bogotá, May 9, 2024—Venezuelan authorities should retract their allegations of attempted bribery against the investigative news website Armando.Info and stop harassing its journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. During a televised news conference on Tuesday, Attorney General Tarek William Saab, an ally of authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, claimed that Armando.Info was part of a “media structure” that…
Venezuela pulls German TV station Deutsche Welle off the air after critical report
Bogotá, March 7, 2024—The Venezuelan government must allow German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle and other international news channels to broadcast freely in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday. On Monday, DW’s Spanish-language TV channel posted a video on X calling Venezuela “the world’s second most corrupt country” and reporting that high-ranking politicians…
Venezuelan authorities detain, charge environmental journalist Luis Alejandro Acosta
Editor’s note: The Venezuela Press Workers Union posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on September 21, that government authorities placed journalist Luis Alejandro Acosta on probation with a 15-day reporting schedule, a ban on publishing information about his arrest, and the obligation to request permission to leave the country. Bogotá, September 14, 2023—Venezuelan authorities must immediately…
Venezuelan authorities question 2 El Nacional employees, summon 3 others
Bogotá, January 27, 2023 — Venezuelan authorities must drop their criminal investigation into two editors, three reporters, and an administrative employee of the El Nacional news website and allow them to continue their work free of intimidation, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday. On Wednesday, January 25, officers of Venezuela’s investigative police unit detained…
How Venezuela’s government uses private internet providers to restrict access to the news
After seven years of painstakingly building up its audience, Crónica Uno, one of the only high-quality news websites that caters to poor and working-class Venezuelans, was recording up to 15,000 unique page views per day. But after private internet service providers (ISPs) teamed up with Venezuela’s authoritarian government in February to block Crónica Uno and…