On January 8, CPJ joined 29 press freedom and advocacy organizations in a statement demanding the immediate release of Venezuelan journalist Carlos Correa, director of Caracas-based press freedom group Espacio Público, who was forcibly disappeared the previous day in the capital.
On January 9, CPJ signed another joint statement along with six organizations urging the Brazilian government to take a stand on the disappearance by hooded individuals, allegedly Venezuelan officials, of Correa. Brazil maintains a long-term relationship with Venezuela and sent an observer to follow the July elections. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he won’t recognize the results until the official figures are released, which hasn’t happened.
That statement called for “the international community, and in particular the Brazilian government, to press for clarification and accountability regarding the disappearance of Carlos Correa and other violations committed in Venezuela against opponents, protesters, journalists, and human rights defenders in recent months.”
Read the full statements in Spanish and Portuguese.