Journalism and the right to information amid the Venezuelan crisis

In contexts of political crisis and institutional repression, such as the one Venezuela is experiencing following the U.S. military intervention, press freedom faces challenges that require the effective protection of journalists as a condition for guaranteeing the right to information.

To defend press freedom as a fundamental right, the United Nations (UN) promoted the Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, which aims to foster a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers, both in conflict settings and in other situations, in order to strengthen peace, democracy and development.

In a report submitted in 2024 to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/56/53), the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression sheds light on journalists in exile who face serious threats due to the rise in transnational repression by the Governments of their countries of origin. According to this text, many exiled journalists lack legal status or protection and rights in the countries where they arrive; as a result, they are exposed to detention, deportation or assault and, in some cases, are forced to abandon their profession.

The current situation in Venezuela

On January 3, 2026, U.S. military forces entered Venezuela and launched airstrikes in Caracas, La Guaira and Miranda on airports, forts and other military complexes. The operation, dubbed “Absolute Resolve” by the Americans, resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela’s first lady, Cilia Flores, both of whom were taken out of the country.

According to the Donald Trump administration, the operation involved a combination of aircraft and special forces with the aim of stopping alleged drug trafficking activities. The intervention was carried out without authorization from the U.S. Congress or from multilateral bodies.

The principles of international law enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations hold that the use of force against the sovereignty of another State without a Security Council mandate constitutes a unilateral military intervention and a violation of international law, which prohibits aggression and requires respect for national sovereignty.

At a press conference in Geneva, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, rejected the United States’ justification for its intervention and said that accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved through a unilateral military intervention in violation of international law.

Along the same lines, Shamdasani added that the U.S. action is far from a victory for human rights because it contravenes Venezuelan sovereignty and the Charter of the United Nations, in addition to damaging the architecture of international security.

The human rights spokesperson called for respect for the fundamental rights of Venezuelans, including the right to self-determination and sovereignty over their lives and their resources. “The future of Venezuela must be determined solely by the Venezuelan people,” she insisted.

Press freedom

Following the U.S. operation, investigators from the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission expressed concern and said that accountability for the abuses documented for years in Venezuela must not be overshadowed by the current crisis.

After years of repression and control of information by the government of Nicolás Maduro, conditions for journalism in Venezuela have deteriorated even further following the January 3 military operation by the United States without a Security Council mandate, followed by institutional instability.

In this scenario, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has stated that journalists face greater and more unpredictable risks in an increasingly fragmented environment where arbitrariness prevails. Intimidation, direct threats, phone searches and the forced deletion of journalistic content are now compounded by new dangers. These threats come from multiple actors, that is, they do not come from a single state authority that was previously identifiable, which significantly increases insecurity for media professionals.

RSF has also stressed that this is a crucial moment for the world to understand what is happening in Venezuela and the consequences of the U.S. intervention, and urges the authorities to allow foreign journalists into the country and to stop restricting the work of local media.

The National Union of Press Workers denounced that since January 3, 23 journalists and media workers remain deprived of their liberty “unjustly and arbitrarily” and that, in addition, around 60 media outlets remain blocked on the internet in Venezuela.

 

RSF complains that the Venezuelan government is currently not providing official information, while independent media continue to be weakened by political pressure, economic hardship and exile, which has deepened the information vacuum about what is happening in Venezuela following the U.S. intervention.

Guillermo Whpei

President of Fundación para la Democracia