Venezuelan authorities have accused four journalists with “terrorism” after arresting them amid the country’s post-election upheaval, a local press union said on Wednesday.
Protests broke out in Venezuela hours after President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the July 28 elections.
“We denounce the illegal and arbitrary use of anti-terrorism laws in Venezuela, especially against journalists and photojournalists detained during the post-election protests in the country,” the Venezuelan Media Workers Union said in a statement on social media.
Since the unrest broke out, photojournalists Yousner Alvarado and Deisy Pena, as well as cameraman Paul Leon and reporter Jose Gregorio Carnero, have been held in jails across the country, the union said.
The journalists have been denied access to their lawyers, it added.
Terrorism is punishable by up to 30 years in jail in Venezuela.
According to human rights organizations, at least 24 people died during the protests, and more than 2,200 were arrested.
Among those arrested was Roland Carreno, a former journalist who was previously convicted of “terrorism” and imprisoned from 2020 to 2023, according to his Popular Will party.
The government are also pursuing opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado for insurrection after they requested military assistance following Maduro’s disputed reelection.