Venezuela / Americas

  
A car drives on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, September 29, 2017. A Dutch freelance journalist said Venezuelan security forces detained him on September 21, 2017 while he was on a reporting trip in the country's southern mining district. (Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

Venezuelan security forces detain Dutch freelancer

Venezuelan security forces on September 21, 2017, detained Dutch freelance journalist Bram Ebus for 18 hours while he was on a reporting trip in the country’s southern mining district in Bolívar state, according to Carlos Correa, the director of Caracas free speech organization Espacio Público.

Read More ›

A Warao man fishes on the Orinoco Delta in 2009. A group of journalists from the indigenous community are running a news website to cover issues affecting the Venezuelan region. (Reuters/Jorge Silva)

From power cuts to powerful threats, Venezuela’s indigenous journalists face a series of challenges in their reporting

Three twentysomethings huddle over a desk in a small room in Tucupita, a low-slung city of about 90,000 people that spills across the Orinoco river delta region in northeastern Venezuela. Far from the tear gas and street conflicts roiling cities including Caracas and Valencia, these journalists are focused on reporting the latest story from the…

Read More ›

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during the Constituent Assembly election in Caracas on July 30. Journalists covering the vote and unrest in Venezuela have been arbitrarily detained, attacked, and threatened. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

Journalists detained, attacked, and threatened amid unrest in Venezuela

New York, July 31, 2017–Venezuelan officials should stop harassing journalists and censoring media outlets amid unrest and violent protests in the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Journalists covering yesterday’s vote to elect representatives for a constituent assembly to reform the Venezuelan constitution were arbitrarily detained, attacked, and threatened.

Read More ›

A car drives on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, September 29, 2017. A Dutch freelance journalist said Venezuelan security forces detained him on September 21, 2017 while he was on a reporting trip in the country's southern mining district. (Reuters/Ricardo Moraes)

Venezuela Country Safety Page

Updated November 9, 2017 As the political situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate, journalists covering protests have been routinely targeted, harassed, attacked, and detained. To provide concrete safety information for local and international journalists covering the unrest, CPJ’s Emergencies Response Team is issuing periodic updates on the political situation and the climate for journalists.

Read More ›

A screen shot shows Venezuelan lawmaker Diosdado Cabello on his program on state broadcaster VTV.

Venezuelan court fines news website $500,000 for ‘moral damage’ to politician

Bogotá, Colombia, June 2, 2017–A Venezuelan court’s ruling ordering a news website to pay the equivalent of nearly half a million U.S. dollars in damages for republishing an article about a politician threatens press freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Read More ›

More than 100 journalists face threats or injury covering Venezuela protests

More than 100 journalists and media workers have been threatened, harassed, detained, injured, or otherwise obstructed from doing their work in Venezuela since mass protests erupted against the government of President Nicolás Maduro there at the beginning of April 2017, according to media reports, the affected journalists, and Venezuelan press freedom groups.

Read More ›

A protester throws a tear gas canister back at police in Caracas, May 2, 2017. (Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

Two media workers detained in Venezuela

Bogotá, Colombia, May 2, 2017–Venezuelan authorities should immediately release Marcos Vergara and Deivis Valera, production assistants for the online media platform VivoPlay, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The two were taken into the custody of the Venezuelan National Guard while covering a protest last night, according to their lawyer.

Read More ›

Opposition leader Henrique Capriles addresses protesters and the press in Caracas on April 22. Journalists and news outlets covering the unrest have been harassed. (AP/Fernando Llano)

Venezuela regulator takes two international news stations off air

Venezuela’s state telecommunications regulator Conatel ordered two international news broadcasters– El Tiempo from Colombia, and Todo Noticias from Argentina– off the air on April 19, 2017, the broadcasters reported.

Read More ›

CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering Protests in Venezuela

Venezuelan opposition supporters have been protesting against the government of President Nicolás Maduro since the Supreme Court ruled to strip the National Assembly of its lawmaking powers at the end of March. This is the longest sustained wave of anti-government demonstrations since 2014.

Read More ›

A Reuters photojournalist runs as Venezuelan National Guard soldiers charge during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Caracas on March 31. Several journalists have been injured covering the unrest. (AP/Ariana Cubillos)

Journalists covering Venezuela protests harassed, attacked, and news websites blocked

New York, April 12, 2017–Venezuelan authorities should ensure that journalists can cover protests safely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Several reporters have been detained, injured, or had equipment seized while covering ongoing protests over a Supreme Court ruling to strip the opposition-led National Assembly of its lawmaking powers, according to news reports and…

Read More ›