Venezuela Protests 2014: 89 Journalists Attacked, Robbed Or Detained In Opposition Protests, Says Press Union

At least 89 journalists, including some foreign press members, have been the subject of force as they covered February protests against the government of Nicolás Maduro, said Marco Ruiz, secretary general of the Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores de Prensa (SNTP), in an interview with Globovisión on Friday. Since February 12, he said, 22 journalists have been arbitrarily detained, 23 have been robbed of their equipment, and 68 were attacked. Ruiz criticized the Venezuelan National Guard in particular for “a growing number of detentions, robberies of equipment”.

Ruiz said the National Guard had engaged in actions which were “absolutely repressive and violations of the rights to work and freedom of expression,” calling them “offensive acts”. In an interview with the Associated Press, Ruiz cited the robbery of an Italian journalist’s equipment by National Guard agents while covering protests in the eastern district of Caracas. The AP notes that the syndicate says that it will take its accusations of aggression against journalists before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights at the end of March. “State security officials are there to guarantee public order, not to attack the press, much less citizens,” said Gabriel Osorio, a photojournalist who is a syndicate member.

Ruiz also called for an end to aggression from “groups of protestors who have directed their ire against workers in the press, putting their lives at risk.” Reporters from AFP, EFE, Reuters and other agencies have said they’ve also been subject to attacks from opposition protesters, such as one earlier this week at a protest in Chacao, Caracas – an opposition stronghold – which forced several journalists to leave the scene.