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December 21, 2024 – Venezuela –
Venezuelan journalist Ana Carolina Guaita, a reporter for the critical digital outlet La Patilla, was formally released on December 21, 2024, after more than four months of detention amid post-election protests. Her arrest sparked immediate international concern over press suppression in Venezuela.
Guaita was initially detained on August 2, 2024, reportedly by agents of SEBIN (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service), as she was covering protests surrounding President Nicolás Maduro’s contested July election victory. Following her disappearance, Guaita’s family was left in the dark. Her mother faced coercive pressure from authorities, who allegedly told her, “Libero a su hija si usted se entrega”—a chilling demand that she surrender herself in exchange for her daughter’s freedom—a demand her mother refused.
International organizations swiftly mobilized. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued precautionary measures in late August, demanding information on Guaita’s whereabouts, clarification of charges, and urgent protection for her safety and well‑being. Press freedom groups such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Freedom Press Unlimited, and Reporters Without Borders called for her immediate release, decrying the government’s baseless “terrorism” accusations as a politically motivated attempt to stifle dissent.
Guaita’s eventual release came alongside four other journalists in a Christmas‑season move. According to the Venezuelan Institute for Press and Society (IPYS), her freedom was part of broader releases in December, though at least half of those detained during this period remain imprisoned. The National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) confirmed on December 21 that Guaita was finally free.
Her release represents a glimmer of hope in a media environment marked by repression, where independent journalists face arbitrary arrest, intimidation, and smearing. While Guaita’s return to freedom is welcomed, her detention highlights the serious erosion of press rights under Maduro’s regime. For genuine progress, observers urge both domestic reform and sustained international pressure to ensure such arbitrary detentions do not recur.
Reference –
Venezuelan journalist detained after elections is released, according to press union
