IPYS recorded almost 80 attacks on the press after the presidential elections in Venezuela

• The organization described the attacks against the media as a violation of press freedom.

The Press and Society Institute (IPYS) has recorded nearly 80 attacks on independent media outlets since the presidential elections in Venezuela were held on Sunday, July 28.

The 79 violations of press freedom occurred from July 29 to August 4, 2024, of which 62 of them are cases related to electoral coverage and anti-government demonstrations.

“This documentation is alarming, because it reveals a worsening of the systematic pattern of repression and control over information of public interest in Venezuela,” reads the report published by IPYS on August 5 through its Web page.

According to the institution, media coverage of the electoral process became more risky when public attention focused on citizen demonstrations against the results issued by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which gave victory to Nicolás Maduro.

Photo: Medianalysis

Officials attack the press

The IPYS report also revealed that several senior government officials issued accusations against independent media outlets in several states of Venezuela, specifically in the Metropolitan Area of ​​Caracas, Amazonas, Aragua, Bolívar, Carabobo, Falcón, Guárico, Sucre, Táchira, Vargas and Zulia.

“They equated media coverage of anti-government citizen protests with serious crimes such as inciting hatred,” IPYS said.

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Documented attacks include physical and verbal assaults (30); acts of stigmatizing speech (18); arrests (7); censorship measures (7); internet restrictions (7); administrative restrictions (6); acts of judicial harassment (3) and restrictions on access to information (1).

In light of this, the organization insisted on the need to protect independent journalists in the country, since they put their integrity at risk by covering the news.

In addition, 25 incidents were reported in digital environments and national television broadcasts. These violations affected 44 reporters, seven foreign correspondents, three cameramen, three media managers and one photojournalist, as well as two journalists and political leaders, of whom 37 are men and 23 are women.

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Arrests of journalists

IPYS described the arrests of journalists as “arbitrary” and “particularly worrying”

According to the report, four media workers were jailed for covering protests: two cameramen, a reporter and a photojournalist in the states of Barinas, Trujillo, Guárico and Miranda, respectively.

For its part, the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) recorded the arrest of cameraman Yousner Alvarado, Digital Newsin Barinas on July 29, who was presented and charged with alleged crimes of terrorism.

Paul Leon, cameraman of VPITV, He was arrested on July 30 in Valera, Trujillo, and was charged by the authorities on August 1, 2024 via onlineIn addition, it was learned that reporter Joaquín de Ponte, arrested on July 30 by members of the Bolivarian National Police (PNB) in San Juan de Los Morros, Guárico, was released on August 5.

Another of the recent arrests was that of the journalist and activist of the Voluntad Popular party, Roland Carrenowho was arrested for the second time on August 2 of this year.

According to a report by the organization Espacio Público, on August 3, hooded individuals, allegedly belonging to the Military Counterintelligence Directorate, detained journalist and political activist José Gregorio Camero in Valle de la Pascua, in Guárico, after an opposition demonstration in that town.

Deportations of special envoys

IPYS reported that at least 11 foreign press workers were deported from Venezuela from Thursday, July 25, to August 4, 2024.

Attacks on digital media

In relation to digital media, the Press and Society Institute recorded that 24 journalists were threatened, criminalized or attacked through “stigmatization campaigns” or comments on social networks.

“The use of stigmatizing discourse and smear campaigns against journalists not only violates their right to work in safe conditions, but also creates a climate of fear and self-censorship. These attacks are even more serious when those responsible for these violations are authority figures, as they send a message of impunity and normalization of these practices,” says IPYS.

The organization also recorded at least six blockages against news websites. This included the American media outlet The Wall Street Journalafter publishing a letter written by María Corina Machado in which she expressed fear for her physical integrity and in which she reported that she is safe.

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