At least 24 killed by Maduro’s ‘brutal crackdown’

Venezuelan authorities and armed government loyalist groups known as colectivos have committed widespread abuses, including killings, arbitrary detentions and prosecutions, and harassment of critics, according to Human Rights Watch.

HRW’s analysis of images and videos that circulated on social media confirms that 24 people were killed in the protests that erupted after President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in the 28 July elections, widely considered to be rigged. 

Maduro insists he won the presidential election, despite mounting evidence to the contrary. Observers, including teams from the UN and the Carter Center, have rejected the results announced by Venezuela’s electoral body, the CNE. Over a month after the election, the government has yet to release the official vote tallies. But only days after the elections, the opposition, led by María Corina Machado, published voting data online showing that their candidate, Edmundo González, defeated Maduro by more than 30%. 

This move provoked strong reactions from Maduro and his allies, who asked the Supreme Court – long controlled by the government – to audit the election results. The court, which has since validated his victory, summoned González to appear, but he failed to do so three times. On 2 September, Maduro’s government went one step further and an arrest warrant was issued for González, who authorities accuse of “serious crimes”, including “usurpation” of public duties, document falsification, instigation of disobedience, and system sabotage.  

Since the day after the elections, Maduro has been leading a brutal crackdown on protesters, including a door-to-door hunt for critics and dissenters. Dubbed “Operación Tun Tun” (Operation Knock-Knock), the measure has put around 2,000 critics and dissenters in jail. Maduro has relied on the colectivos to voluntarily patrol the cities daily on motorbikes and subdue regime opponents.

The crackdown has extended to the media, with at least nine journalists detained, some accused of terrorism – a crime that carries a sentence of up to 30 years. To evade arrest, some Venezuelan journalists have turned to using artificial intelligence avatars to report news that Maduro’s regime deems unacceptable. Dubbed “Operación Retuit” (Operation Retweet), it is a direct response to the government’s Operación Tun Tun. 

The election results and subsequent repression have also triggered a new wave of migration, with hundreds of opposition activists and electoral witnesses fleeing the country. Many have resorted to desperate measures, such as travelling at night and hiding during the day, to escape government forces.  

In a recent reshuffle of the cabinet, Maduro appointed Diosdado Cabello, a hardline loyalist known for his staunch support of the Bolivarian revolution, as the new interior minister. Cabello’s appointment has alarmed human rights groups, given his history of harsh rhetoric and alleged involvement in criminal activities. 

Maduro’s electoral fraud and repression have sparked a wave of international criticism, mostly across the region. The US government, which has imposed sanctions on Cabello and offered a $10 million reward for his arrest, also drafted a list of 60 Venezuelan officials and their family members to sanction. Additionally, on 2 September, US authorities seized Maduro’s plane in the Dominican Republic, on the grounds that it was acquired in violation of existing sanctions.

In an attempt to tame the post-electoral turmoil, Maduro announced on Monday that this year’s Christmas holidays will begin in October – a move he has resorted to in the past and that entails increased distribution of food and aid packages. “It is September, and it already smells like Christmas. And that is why this year, in homage to you, in gratitude to you, I am going to decree the advancement of Christmas to October 1.”

For more on the Venezuela elections, read: