The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the Venezuelan government to allow journalists to effectively cover the protests surrounding the results of the recent July 28 election. There are fears that the media is being suppressed and prevented from operating effectively to cover the unfolding protests, with the Venezuelan authorities being accused of mass media censorship.

In the statement, CPJ voiced concerns over the escalating fear of media censorship following the shooting of one journalist and the arrest of six others while covering the protests. The shooting victim is Jesús Romero, who is the “editor of [the] news website Código Urbe.” The National Guard shot him in the abdomen and leg while he was covering anti-government protests in Maracay. Yousner Alvarado and Paul León, two camera operators, were both arrested whilst similarly reporting on the opposition protests. Yousner Alvarado has been charged with counts of terrorism. Both individuals currently remain in detention. 

Apart from injuries and detentions of journalists, Venezuela’s National Press Workers Union (SNTP) also reported that state regulators threatened private radio stations across the country that reporting on opposition protests amounts to broadcasting news with violent elements. The violation can result in fines and revoke of broadcast licence. Several media agencies have decided to close in protest of the censorship regulations. The newspaper Última Hora stated that they were closing to safeguard the physical integrity of journalists and workers. They reported that as an institute, they are united in democracy.

Following the presidential election held on July 28, both the current president Nicolás Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo González claimed victory in the election. Protests outbroke after González called on his supporters to repudiate Maduro’s claim to have won the election. On August 1, the US recognized González as the newly-elected president, in US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement.