Venezuela’s government has launched a crackdown in the wake of the US’s capture of Nicolás Maduro, arresting journalists and deploying paramilitary forces to suppress any show of support for the authoritarian leader’s ousting.
Gun-toting paramilitaries known as colectivos have been deployed to the streets of Caracas under a state of emergency announced on Monday, and media unions said 14 journalists and media workers — 11 from foreign media — have been detained.
Most of the arrests of journalists took place around the National Assembly building as vice-president Delcy Rodríguez — who US President Donald Trump said would lead a government open to Washington’s interests — was formally sworn in as interim president, according to the National Syndicate for Press Workers in Venezuela.