Four journalists charged with terrorism after Venezuela's post-election unrest
The Press Workers' Union (SNTP) announced Wednesday the indictment of four journalists for "terrorism" in Venezuela, in a context of repression of demonstrations that occurred after the presidential election of July 28. The SNTP strongly denounced the abusive and arbitrary use of anti-terrorism laws against journalists arrested during these post-election unrest.
Among those charged are photographers Yousner Alvarado (Barinas, west) and Deisy Pena (Miranda, center), cameraman Paul Leon (Trujillo, west), as well as journalist José Gregorio Carneiro. All were imprisoned, and the union emphasizes that these journalists were denied the right to a private defense.
The demonstrations which broke out after the proclamation of the victory of Nicolas Maduro, outgoing president, led to the death of 24 people, according to a report updated Tuesday by human rights organizations. Nicolas Maduro, for his part, announced the death of two members of the national guard and the arrest of more than 2.200 people. Among those arrested are also opposition leaders, including journalist Roland Carreno, activist for the Voluntad Popular (VP) party.
Furthermore, the Venezuelan prosecutor's office opened a criminal investigation against Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, opposition candidate, and Maria Corina Machado, opposition leader, following their call for the military to support the people.
The National Electoral Council confirmed Friday the victory of Nicolas Maduro with 52% of the votes. However, not all polling station minutes were made public, with the council claiming to have been the victim of a hack. The opposition, for its part, maintains that its own documents, rejected by the government, show that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the election with 67% of the vote.
