The organizations pointed out that these arrests of journalists involved “multiple irregularities” such as arrest without reporting a criminal investigation, holding hearings that did not respect due process, excessive use of pretrial detention or the prohibition of access to a trusted lawyer.
International organizations have called for the immediate release of eight Venezuelan journalists detained by the government of Nicolás Maduro following the July 28 elections, for their reporting work or for their political ties.
In a statementThe organizations stressed that the whereabouts of some of them “are uncertain” and described the arrests as “an extreme measure that lacks any legality.”
The detainees are Luis López (reporter/La Guaira), Yuosnel Alvarado (photojournalist/Barinas), Paúl León (cameraman/Trujillo), Deysi Peña (photojournalist/Miranda), José Gregorio Camero (producer and presenter/Guárico), Eleángel Navas (photographer and community manager/Anzoátegui), Gilberto Reina (reporter/Bolívar) and Ana Carolina Guaita (reporter/La Guaira).
The group is accused of crimes such as terrorism, inciting hatred, criminal association or resisting authority, “which can carry sentences of 12 to 20 years in prison. This is worrying, since it is clear that these crimes are being distorted to apply to journalists in order to silence them.”
The NGOs pointed out that these arrests were marked by “multiple irregularities” such as arrests without reporting a criminal investigation, the holding of hearings that did not respect due process, the excessive use of pre-trial detention or the prohibition of access to a trusted lawyer.
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Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, the Foundation for Press Freedom, Fundademedios, Free Press Unlimited, the International Press Institute, IFEX – ALC and Voces del Sur asked multilateral organizations and the international community “to speak out for the full release of the detained journalists as a matter of urgency, at the risk of causing irreparable damage.”
They also recalled that after the elections, “Venezuela has suffered an escalation in restrictions and censorship imposed by the government of Nicolás Maduro. Dozens of newspapers and digital media have faced website blockages, multiple foreign journalists have been expelled from the country and the passports of several press workers have been revoked.”
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