Miami, January 25, 2019–The Committee to Protect Journalists today called on Venezuelan authorities to stop blocking news outlets and to ensure that access to the internet is available amid the country’s political crisis and widespread protests.
On January 9, 2019, Venezuelan security agents detained Danish freelance reporter Kristoffer Toft when he tried to enter the country on a tourist visa at Maiquetía airport in La Guaira, in northern Venezuela, the reporter told the Committee to Protect Journalists. Officials interrogated Toft and conducted a Google search of his name before denying him…
The Committee to Protect Journalists joined more than 30 regional and international rights organizations expressing concern about a proposed law in Venezuela that would expand the powers of the government to control and monitor internet use without institutional checks.