A local Press Union announced on Wednesday, 7 August 2024, that four journalists who were detained amid the post-election turmoil in Venezuela had been accused of “terrorism” by the government.

Hours after President Nicolas Maduro was declared winner of the July 28 elections, protests broke out in Venezuela. The Venezuelan Media Workers Union released a statement on social media stating, “We denounce the illegal and arbitrary use of anti-terrorism laws in Venezuela, especially against journalists and photojournalists detained during the post-election protests in the country.”

According to the union, photojournalists Yousner Alvarado and Deisy Pena, cameraman Paul Leon, and reporter Jose Gregorio Carnero have all been detained in jails around the nation since the uprising began. It further stated that the journalists were not allowed to see their lawyers.

The maximum penalty for the crime of terrorism in Venezuela is thirty years in jail. As per Maduro, almost 2,200 people were detained and human rights organizations claim that at least 24 people perished during the protests.

Renowned opposition leader Roland Carreno was among those detained. According to his Popular Will party, Carreno was a former journalist who had been jailed from 2020 to 2023 after being charged with “terrorism.”

In addition, the authorities are looking into possible acts of rebellion by opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado, who requested military assistance after Maduro’s disputed reelection.

AFP

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