Carlos Correa: “Silence Does Not Help Us”
In a new edition of Espacio Runrunes, Luis Ernesto Blanco spoke with Carlos Correa, director of the NGO Espacio Público, about the balance of freedom of expression in Venezuela during the year 2025 and the first four months of 2026. Despite a decrease in the total volume of incidents, the analysis reveals a weakened media ecosystem and an increase in the aggressiveness of repressive patterns.
TL;DR
- In 2025, 123 cases and 238 complaints of freedom of expression violations were documented in Venezuela.
- Despite a decrease in total incidents, there was a significant increase in detentions, with 44 arrests for exercising freedom of expression.
- Intimidation (33.19%) and censorship (26.47%) were the most frequent forms of aggression, indicating a state policy to inhibit information flow through fear and the closure of public debate spaces.
- The pattern of persecution has expanded beyond journalists to include any citizen with a smartphone, using vague laws like the Law Against Hate.
- Lack of access to public information persists, preventing effective social control and contributing to the government viewing journalists as enemies.
- State actions, including arbitrary digital blockages of 62 news portals and human rights organizations, depend solely on political will.
- Laws such as the Law Against Hate and the Law on Social Responsibility (Resorte) are criticized for being used punitively rather than for their intended purposes.