It’s been three months since Venezuela experienced an unprecedented wave of repression against journalists, following authorities’ declaring Nicolás Maduro the winner of the presidential elections in late July, amid controversy and without publishing official results.
Since then, authorities have detained some ten journalists, shut down three media outlets, voided the passports of about twenty journalists, and blocked several social media and websites, pushing many press workers to flee the country.
“We are living in a time of great fear and uncertainty,” Marianela Balbi, director of the Venezuelan chapter of the Press and Society Institute (IPYS), told LatAm Journalism Review (LJR). “We have never recorded such a high number of journalists arbitrarily detained.”
IPYS, which was founded in 2002, has counted eight journalists who were detained while performing their duties and are still in prison.
The Attorney General’s Office has upheld detention orders for three of them: Cameraman and 26-year-old journalism student Paúl León, photojournalist Deisy Peña, and journalist and political leader Roland Carreño. On October 22, all three were put on trial for alleged crimes of terrorism and incitement to hatred, the National Press Workers' Union (SNTP) reported on its X account.
León was arrested on July 30 in Trujillo state by police officers as he was setting up his camera to record a protest for the online video channel VPItv.
Peña was detained on August 2 for taking and sharing photos of a protest that took place days earlier in Los Altos Mirandinos.
Roland Carreño was arrested by agents of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service on August 2, 2024, in Caracas, though he was not covering any protest. This is his second arrest. He was first detained from 2020 to 2023. He is being held in El Helicoide, the Venezuelan regime’s prison for political prisoners.
None of the three have access to private attorneys, and they will remain in prison until their trial date, according to the National Press Workers' Union.
The five other journalists still in prison include:
“The arbitrary detention of press workers in Venezuela is a direct attack on press freedom and an attempt to silence voices denouncing injustices and abuses of power,” Balbi said. “It is imperative to take immediate action to protect journalists and ensure they can do their jobs without fear of reprisal.”
During this post-election period, the Venezuelan regime ordered the closure of three media outlets, leaving hundreds of journalists unemployed.
On August 30, the National Telecommunications Commission ordered the closure of Radio Hispana 89.5 FM in Yaracuy state, as reported by IPYS. Three officials visited the station, demanding it cease broadcasting, alleging that the station's license expired in 2019, though the radio station claims it is valid until 2030.
Conatel also shut down Victoria 103.9 FM, a radio station with over 20 years on the air in Aragua state. According to the station's X account, a Conatel commission visited on September 13 and ordered the equipment shut down, citing the "expiration of sound broadcasting authorization."
The third outlet affected was Diario La Voz, one of the few remaining print media in Venezuela, which had circulated for 58 years in Miranda state. On October 3, the tax agency visited the newspaper's offices, claiming the fiscal records were not up to date, and ordered its closure for eight months, as reported by SNTP.
After the presidential election, the Venezuelan regime also increased its blocking of digital media, human rights organization websites, and even restricted access to X (formerly Twitter), the encrypted messaging app Signal, and Microsoft Teams.
By August 13, Venezuelan digital rights organization VE sin Filtro had recorded over 63 media and news sites blocked by major internet service providers in the country.
Balbi also expressed concern over the discretionary annulment of journalists’ passports by Venezuelan migration authorities. IPYS has documented at least twenty cases of passport annulments, violating journalists’ rights to identity, nationality, and freedom of movement.
“For these reasons, many journalists have decided to protect themselves, stop signing their journalistic work, and forcibly relocate from their homes, cities, or even the country,” Balbi said.
IPYS Venezuela has recorded at least 25 cases of forced displacement, though they suspect the figure is higher.
Many media outlets have also stopped covering local news, beyond government statements, for fear of retaliation against their sources and journalists. For this story, LJR contacted three journalists living in the country who preferred not to comment. Some prefer to speak only through trade association spokespeople who live outside of the country.
“This wave of repression has not subsided,” Balbi said. “These forms of persecution underscore the urgent need to protect independent journalists in the country, as their lives and personal safety are in danger.”
