The regime in Venezuela launched a wave of repression in the country after the capture of Maduro / Paramilitary forces on the streets, journalists arrested, demonstrations banned
A decree establishing the state of emergency, dated January 3 but published in the Official Gazette on Monday, ordered the authorities to “immediately begin the search and arrest of any person involved in promoting or supporting the US armed attack against the territory of the republic”, writes the Financial Times.
Shortly after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by US forces, the Venezuelan regime launched a campaign of repression, arresting journalists and deploying paramilitary forces to suppress any show of support for the authoritarian leader's ouster.
Paramilitary troops, known as colectivos, were deployed on the streets of Caracas under a state of emergency declared on Monday, which barred Venezuelans from showing support for the US raid.
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The crackdown comes as Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro's former deputy and Venezuela's new leader, has taken steps to consolidate her control over the country.
US President Donald Trump said Rodríguez would lead a government open to Washington's interests.
Control points
After the US operation that captured Maduro on Saturday, the regime did its best to stifle any public display of joy.
A decree establishing the state of emergency, dated January 3 but published in the Official Gazette on Monday, ordered authorities to “immediately begin the search and arrest of any person involved in promoting or supporting the US armed attack against the territory of the republic.”
Venezuela officially has an interim president: Delcy Rodriguez, who is also the Minister of Oil. “I come here with sadness, I am pained by the kidnapping of two heroes”
A human rights activist in Caracas, quoted by the Financial Times, said the crackdown had intensified significantly on Monday, with authorities “checking people's phones to see if they have anything that could be interpreted as support for US actions”.
During this time, the paramilitary forces were “mobilized”, with checkpoints set up around the capital.
The paramilitary forces are largely under the control of Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a member of the regime's radical faction, who also oversees the police.
The warning issued by the leader of the opposition
Opposition leader María Corina Machado said the crackdown was “truly alarming”. In an interview with Fox News on Monday night, she warned that the situation must be closely watched by the US government and supported the need for the country's transition to democracy.
“Delcy Rodríguez is one of the main architects of torture, persecution, corruption and drug trafficking,” Machado said.
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“She is the main ally of Russia, China and Iran, so she is someone that international investors cannot trust and who is rejected by the Venezuelan people,” she added.
Rodríguez was succeeded by her brother, Jorge, who, as president of the National Assembly, is also next in line under the Venezuelan Constitution.
Among the first to congratulate Delcy Rodríguez on her inauguration were the ambassadors of Russia, China and Iran, according to a video posted on social media.
Journalists arrested
Meanwhile, media unions said 14 journalists and media workers – 11 of them foreign – were detained for several hours before being released.
Most of the arrests took place around the National Assembly building as Rodríguez was officially inaugurated as interim president, according to the National Union of Press Workers of Venezuela.
Colombian television network Caracol said one of its reporters, Carlos Barragán, and his team were “detained by officials of Venezuela's General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence and were held for questioning for nearly two hours.”
The identity and whereabouts of other detained journalists are unknown. Their families are afraid to release their names for fear of reprisals.
The streets of eastern Caracas – an opposition stronghold – remained largely deserted in the days following Maduro's capture, under the watch of paramilitaries.
“We can't celebrate anything,” said a woman walking through the Chacao neighborhood on Sunday evening who declined to give her name. “If we celebrate, the colectivos could kill us,” she said, as quoted by the Financial Times.
