Two men arrested in Mérida for celebrating Maduro's capture
Venezuelan police arrested two men aged 64 and 65 in the state of Mérida accused of shouting slogans and celebrating the arrest of Nicolás Maduro.
Arrests in Mérida amid wave of repression following Maduro's capture
Police in the Venezuelan state of Mérida detained two men aged 64 and 65 accused of "celebrating the abduction" of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, according to infobae.com. Activists denounce that the arrests are part of a new wave of repression aimed at suppressing any expression of joy following the capture of the leader by United States forces.
According to a statement from the Autonomous Institute of the Police of the State of Mérida (IAPEBM), officials received a report about two citizens who "were altering peace and public tranquillity" in the Los Cedros sector, Río Negro parish, Guaraque municipality. The police statement specifies that those detained "were shouting slogans against the Government, celebrating the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro and the first combatant Cilia Flores, offending neighbours who are PSUV activists and inciting violence, in addition to making detonations with a firearm".
During a search of the residence, authorities seized a Smith & Wesson revolver with six cartridges—five of which had been fired—and a shotgun with no visible markings. Both men were taken to the Guaraque police station.
Detained journalists and groups on the streets
The arrests in Mérida occurred amid an escalation of repression that followed Maduro's arrest the previous Saturday. While thousands of Venezuelans in exile openly celebrated the news, no public demonstrations of joy were recorded within the country, a situation observers attribute to fear of reprisals.
On Monday, at least 14 journalists were detained in Caracas whilst covering the swearing-in of Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, according to the union representing media workers in Venezuela. Most worked for foreign press organisations and were released the same day, although one was deported.
Witnesses reported a strong presence of security forces and motorised pro-government groups known as "colectivos" patrolling the streets of Caracas. According to residents, these groups stopped drivers and searched their mobile phones for messages critical of the government.
"There are military personnel on every corner and groups of armed civilians supporting the government that are causing fear among the population," said a woman who requested anonymity. A community leader from the Petare neighbourhood told BBC Mundo that there were "hooded men with weapons patrolling, checking people's WhatsApp statuses".
Over 800 political prisoners and history of repression
Repression is not new in Venezuela. More than 2,000 people were arrested during the protests that followed the 2024 presidential elections, in which the government declared Maduro the winner despite results presented by the opposition and verified by independent media pointing to a victory by the opposition candidate. On that occasion, security forces also searched citizens' mobile phones for critical messages, which led many Venezuelans to delete social media accounts and message histories. Several of those arrested were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences for "treason".
According to the pressure group Foro Penal, there are more than 800 political prisoners detained in Venezuela as of 5 January.
"The presence of colectivos on the streets is clearly intended to reinforce the government's scheme of internal repression and prevent popular mobilisations through fear," said Andrei Serbin Pont, president of the CRIES research group based in Buenos Aires.
On Monday evening, gunfire and detonations were reported near the Palacio de Miraflores in Caracas. A government source cited by EFE news agency indicated that security forces made "warning shots" in response to the presence of unidentified drones.
Source: Google News VE — Caracas