The latest report from the NGO Espacio Público, presented on April 29, indicates that during the year 2025, 123 cases and 238 complaints of violations of freedom of expression were registered in Venezuela and that so far in 2026 the NGO has recorded 38 cases and 91 violations of this right.
These figures represent a decrease of 60% in relation to the total number of cases and 62% in relation to the violations that occurred in 2024. The variation in the figure responds to the high number of cases registered in 2024 in the context of the presidential election of July 28, 2024 and the levels of repression generated in that framework.
The report was presented by sociologist Marysabel Rodríguez and the director of the NGO, Carlos Correa, this Wednesday morning. The document shared with the journalistic union details that the period with the highest occurrence of cases was January, a month that accumulated 33.33% of the annual total with 40 incidents; a rebound that coincides with the presidential inauguration and the mobilizations called within the framework of the legitimacy crisis derived from the year 2024, after the electoral results.
After a decrease in the first quarter, Espacio Público observed a new increase in violations of freedom of expression during the months of May (10.83%) and July (10.83%).
Intimidation was positioned as the most frequent type of aggression with 79 cases (33.19%), followed by censorship with 63 cases (26.47%). Other modalities recorded were judicial harassment (14.71%) and administrative restrictions (13.03%).
The Capital District remains the entity with the highest number of incidents, followed by the states of Táchira, Bolívar, Lara and Vargas. Cases linked to the digital environment represent 53.66% of the total with 66 records.
Criminalization of reporting and arrests
The deprivations of liberty during the year 2025 accounted for a total of 44 arbitrary detentions. Most of these measures were applied to private individuals, who totaled 24 records (54.55%). Of that total, 17 arrests were for the use of the internet and social networks, with 14 cases showing the use of hate crimes.
The affected people are mainly public workers, students and community leaders. “The deprivations of liberty during the year 2025 revealed the use of detention as a tool of direct punishment against critical speech, accounting for a total of 44 arbitrary detentions,” the report reads.
A relevant case is that of doctor Alexis Zárraga, arrested on February 14, 2025 by Sebin officials under accusations of instigating hatred after publishing critical messages in WhatsApp groups. Likewise, the student Juan Francisco Alvarado was arrested on March 20 by the Bolivarian National Guard, after publishing complaints on Facebook. Alvarado was sentenced to 15 years in prison, although the sentence was annulled by the Court of Appeals of the Cojedes state on January 23, 2026.
On August 29, 2025, the Caracas Municipal Police imprisoned community leader Manuel Sánchez for complaints on TikTok. In November he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and in December he was transferred to El Rodeo I prison.
Espacio Público indicates that there are cases that are not formally reported by family members due to fear of additional reprisals or the worsening of the legal situation of the detainees.
Closing of stations and victims of the union
The right to information in the regions was reduced by the closure of at least seven radio stations in five states. Conatel executed these measures and confiscated equipment at stations such as Victoria 100.9 FM and Stilos 93.1 FM in Portuguesa on February 21. On November 26, La Radio 93.7 FM in Vargas state was ordered to close, alleging that the station was operating illegally after 12 years of work.
“These measures, executed by the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel) under opaque administrative arguments, consolidate the policy of suffocating local media and deepening the information deserts in the interior of Venezuela.”
Regarding the profile of the victims, the work of journalists and reporters totals 44 records (34.11%). Individuals (21.71%), media (13.18%) and citizens in general (11.63%) were also affected.
Of the total registered victims, 78% are men and 22% are women. Among the incidents, the arrest of journalist Rory Branker stands out, who spent almost 7 months in forced disappearance until his release on February 4, 2026.
“This diversification of victims, which also includes website workers, cameramen and members of NGOs, reflects the expanded environment of restriction where any social actor who tries to disseminate information or opinions of public interest is exposed to retaliation,” the report says.
The press team of the Argentine channel C5N, made up of Nicolás Monafó, Adrián Salonia and Sebastián Solís, was expelled from the country on December 9. After landing in Maiquetía, immigration officials questioned them and prevented them from entering. The journalists were taken to a plane bound for Bolivia without receiving an official explanation about the denial of access to Venezuelan territory.
Victims and impediments to coverage
Of a total of 172 identified perpetrators, State institutions top the list with 75 records (43.60%), followed by security forces with 51 cases (29.65%). Private operators occupy third place with 26 registrations (15.12%), related to digital blocks. The structure is completed with officials (7.56%) and violent groups (1.74%).
“Around 10 unidentified people harassed the union leader and coordinator of the Venezuelan Union Network, Mauro Zambrano, and the journalist María Graterol at the time when both were recording testimonies from patients and workers at the Magallanes de Catia Hospital.”
The report documents that on July 27, 2025, Plan República officials prevented journalists from covering the vote of a candidate in Barquisimeto. The troops allowed only momentary access to photojournalists and cameramen, preventing the rest of the team from recording statements.
January-April 2026: new political moment, same patterns
Espacio Público documented that between January and April 2026, at least 38 cases and 91 complaints of violations of the right to freedom of expression were registered, in addition to 29 arbitrary arrests.
According to the organization, the reconfiguration of political power after the events at the beginning of the year has not stopped the harassment, keeping the flow of information under siege through a legal architecture designed for censorship.
The report highlights that, although there are currently no journalists in prison, at least 22 press workers were arbitrarily detained during street coverage in this first quarter. In these procedures, physical attacks and the deletion of journalistic material by security forces were reported. Likewise, the NGO warns about the vulnerability of infocitizens; The case of Yorman Acevedo (58) stands out, detained in Yare III and accused of instigating hatred after making critical publications on TikTok and WhatsApp.
Immediate actions to restore free expression
Finally, the NGO report emphasizes that the recovery of democracy requires the reestablishment of minimum guarantees for the press and citizens.
Among the urgent actions proposed by Espacio Público are the full release of all people detained for exercising their right to express themselves, the immediate repeal of the “law against hate” – used to criminalize critical speech – and the cessation of arbitrary digital blocks imposed by Conatel against media and information platforms.
Click here to read the full report.
