Four Venezuelan journalists charged with terrorism as Maduro escalates attacks on the press

As the crisis resulting from Venezuela's electoral fallout continues, with ongoing protests and repression by government forces lasting over a week now, the press is also being increasingly targeted. Besides Nicolás Maduro's attacks on social media Apps and WhatsApp, the country's also seen an uptick on its pursuit of free press and censorship.

On Wednesday, the country's union advocating for free press (SNTP for its acronym in Spanish) reported that four media workers and staff members detained during the post-election protests have been charged with terrorism-related offenses.

"We denounce the illegal and arbitrary use of antiterrorist laws against journalists and reports detained during post electoral protests",the SNTP said in its X account, adding that the journalists in question have been banned from hiring private lawyers.

The following four individuals have been charged so far, with at least 9 others also detained, according to local media outlet Efecto Cocuyo:

• Yousner Alvarado, a photojournalist from the state of Barinas, appeared in a virtual hearing on July 31 before a special terrorism court based in Caracas. He remains detained at the National Anti-Extortion and Kidnapping Command (Conas) of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) in Barinas.
• Paúl León, a cameraman from the state of Trujillo, also appeared virtually before a terrorism court in Caracas.
• Deisy Peña, a photojournalist from the state of Miranda was transferred to a women's prison in Ocumare del Tuy following her virtual hearing.
• José Gregorio Carnero, a journalist and political leader from Guárico, was charged with terrorism during a virtual hearing on August 7. He was taken to the headquarters of the Scientific, Penal, and Criminal Investigations Corps in Valle de La Pascua.

On Wednesday, SNTP also reported a raid on the headquarters of the newspaper *El Caroreño" in the state of Lara.

Freedom of speech has been targeted in Venezuela for years as a result of a mix of censorship, attacks on press workers and a decaying internet infrastructure. Espacio Público, an NGO that promotes freedom of speech in the country, has tallied a whopping , adding that almost the totality of them remain without legal resolution.

Intimidation has, nevertheless, become even more intense since the 2024 electoral cycle began. Just on July 28, the day of the election, Espacio Público registered 29 cases of freedom of speech violations across the country.