Venezuelan journalist Paúl León, a camera operator with the online TV news channel VPITV, was detained July 30 on charges of terrorism and inciting hatred in the western city of Valera as he was on his way to cover an anti-government protest, following the country’s disputed July 28 presidential election, reported CPJ.
León was first held at the Valera police station but was transferred on August 25 to the Tocuyito Penitentiary in the western state of Carabobo, according to the Caracas-based free press organizations Institute for Press and Society (IPYS) and Espacio Público.
The arrest and charges against León are related to an ongoing crackdown on independent journalists by President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian government in the wake of anti-government protests.
An online hearing was held August 6 in which a special anti-terrorism tribunal accused León of terrorism and inciting hatred, and a judge declared on October 22 that the journalist must stand trial on these charges, according to VPITV. The authorities did not grant León access to private lawyers, and he was forced to accept a public defender.
León is currently awaiting trial. Colleagues and relatives said León is losing weight due to the poor-quality prison food.
CPJ calls in late 2024 to the Venezuelan Defense Ministry, which controls the police, went unanswered.