The Venezuelan authorities have launched a crackdown on journalists and politically active citizens for supporting the US operation to capture President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores. This comes amid acting President Delcy Rodriguez’s efforts to consolidate her power, the Financial Times reports.
According to the National Union of Press Workers of Venezuela, security forces detained 14 journalists and media workers for several hours during Rodriguez’s swearing-in in Parliament (National Assembly). Thirteen of them were later released and one was deported.
Colombian TV station Caracol reported that one of its reporters, Carlos Barragan, and his team “were detained by members of Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and interrogated for almost two hours.”
Representatives of pro-government groups known as “collectivos” also appeared on the streets of the capital Caracas. The state of emergency decree, according to the Financial Times, orders the immediate search and arrest… of anyone involved in promoting or supporting the US armed attack on the republic’s territory.”
A human rights activist in Caracas said that the repression increased significantly on 5 January, with government officials checking people’s phones to ascertain their position and checkpoints set up around the capital.
On the night of 3 January, US troops struck military installations in Venezuela’s capital Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores. US authorities do not consider Maduro to be the legitimate president of Venezuela and accuse him and Flores of conspiring to engage in “narco-terrorism”, importing cocaine, and storing weapons and explosive devices to use against the US.
United States Representative to the UN Michael Walz said the removal and detention of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife was a “law enforcement surgery supported by the US military”. He said the US is not at war with Venezuela and is not planning an occupation.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on 4 January that he may order another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with the United States.
Maduro said at his trial in New York that he would not plead guilty to drug and arms trafficking charges and that he still considers himself Venezuela’s president.