Venezuela

Aitor Saez, a Spanish correspondent working for Deutsche Welle, was sent back to Colombia on the night of January 22, 2017, after immigration authorities said the Spanish journalist did not comply with the necessary requirements to enter the country.

Capitolio TV technicians Óscar Sánchez and Michael Acosta were about to install broadcasting equipment to cover news of a parliamentary session on healthcare, when they were detained by pro-government supporters.

On January 5th, 2017, the live broadcasts of open-signal radio stations were obstructed, during the swearing-in of the new board of directors of the National Assembly (AN), the highest legislative entity.

On December 8, 2016, journalist Jamel Louka, correspondent for Diario La Antena, was shot at in the Monagas municipality of Guárico state. The incident took place during the morning when he was intercepted by four men on two motorcycles, who shot at his car.

Euro Lobo, the head of press for the mayor’s office of Mérida told IPYS Venezuela that he was ambushed at an entrances to an Andean community while covering a political event.

Euro Lobo, the head of press for the mayor’s office of Mérida told IPYS Venezuela that he was ambushed at an entrances to an Andean community while covering a political event.

On October 26, 2016, Emmanuel Rivas, reporter for the website El Pitazo TV, received three rubber bullet injuries to his body when he was taking photos in the city of Mérida at the peaceful protest over of the suspension of the recall referendum against president Nicolás Maduro.

In the latest serious violation of the rights of journalist Melissa Turibbi, at a time of great tension for the opposition media, intelligence officers searched and ransacked her home on 24 October.

Braulio Jatar’s family called the arrest a retaliation against Jatar and an act of intimidation for his having disseminated information and videos about protests against President Nicolás Maduro.

How did hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans manage to make their voices heard despite shut down subways, threats and journalist visa denials?

Authorities in Venezuela denied entry to at least six journalists, including CPJ Andes correspondent John Otis, who were traveling to the country to cover a protest demanding a recall referendum on President Nicolás Maduro.

At around 2 a.m. on 30 August, excrement and homemade explosives were thrown at the Caracas offices of the Venezuelan daily El Nacional. The attack comes less than a week after a separate incident in which unidentified assailants shot at the façade of Diario de los Andes.

“We are profoundly concerned by the recent attacks against journalists and independent media, which increase pressure on the media in Venezuela. This is especially alarming given the shortages of food and medicines in the country, the economic crisis and the intense social and political tensions.”

Since May 2016, the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional, SEBIN) and National Guard have detained 21 people on allegations that they were planning, fomenting, or had participated in violent anti-government actions.

IPYS Venezuela rejects the attacks against 19 reporters while covering a food-related protest in the vicinity of the Fuerzas Armadas Avenue in downtown Caracas.

The international community should press Venezuela to revoke the recent “State of Exception and Emergency Decree” that granted the government powers to restrict rights, suspend international cooperation for civil society groups and limit the constitutional powers of the National Assembly.