2014 Venezuelan Protests
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In 2014, a series of protests, political demonstrations, and civil insurrection began in
Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
due to the country's high levels of urban violence,
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
, and chronic shortages of basic goods attributed to economic policies such as strict price controls. Mass protesting began in earnest in February following the attempted rape of a student on a university campus in San Cristóbal. Subsequent arrests and killings of student protesters spurred their expansion to neighboring cities and the involvement of opposition leaders. The year's early months were characterized by large demonstrations and violent clashes between protesters and government forces that resulted in nearly 4,000 arrests and 43 deaths, including both supporters and opponents of the government.


Background

Since
Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...
was elected President of Venezuela in 1998, he and his political ambitions proved to be controversial. Under Chávez, oil revenues in the 2000s brought funds not seen in Venezuela since the 1980s, with Chávez's government becoming "semi-authoritarian and hyper-
populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...
", investing heavily in public works which initially benefited Venezuelans. His government failed to save funds earned while oil prices were high and soon after his death, Venezuela's economy became dilapidated. Also under Chávez's tenure, corruption in Venezuela, as well as
crime in Venezuela Crime in Venezuela is widespread, as violent crimes such as murder and kidnapping have been skyrocketing for several years. In 2014, the United Nations attributed crime to the poor political and economic environment in the country—which, at th ...
, had greatly increased, causing more frustration among Venezuelans. Frustrations were seen in the polls when during the
2013 Venezuelan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Venezuela on 14 April 2013 following the Death and state funeral of Hugo Chávez, death of List of Presidents of Venezuela, President Hugo Chávez on 5 March 2013. Nicolás Maduro—who had assumed the role o ...
, Nicolas Maduro narrowly won the election with 50.6% of the vote, ahead of the 49.1% of candidate
Henrique Capriles Radonski Henrique Capriles Radonski (; born 11 July 1972) is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer, who served as the 36th Governor of Miranda from 2008 to 2017. Born in Caracas, he received a degree in law from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, ...
, surprisingly close compared to previous elections in the country. The opposition's defeat in the 8 December 2013 municipal elections, which it had framed as a 'plebiscite' on Maduro's presidency, would later ignite an internal debate over strategy. Moderate opposition leaders
Henrique Capriles Henrique Capriles Radonski (; born 11 July 1972) is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer, who served as the 36th Governor of Miranda (state), Miranda from 2008 to 2017. Born in Caracas, he received a degree in law from the Universidad Católica ...
and
Henri Falcón Henri Falcón Fuentes (born 19 June 1961) is a Venezuelan politician, lawyer, and retired Bolivarian Army non-commissioned officer. He served as mayor for two consecutive terms of Barquisimeto, Iribarren Municipality from 2000 to 2008 and as ...
argued for 'unity' and dialogue with the government, and attended meetings held by the President to discuss cooperation among the country's mayors and governors. Other opposition leaders, such as
Leopoldo López Leopoldo Eduardo López Mendoza (born 29 April 1971) is a Venezuelan opposition leader. López was elected mayor of the Chacao Municipality of Caracas in the 2000 Venezuelan regional elections, regional elections held in July 2000. He is the N ...
and Marina Corina Machado, opposed dialogue and called for a new strategy to force an immediate change in the government.


Timeline

According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict (OVCS), 9,286 protests occurred in 2014, the greatest number of protests occurring in Venezuela in decades. The majority of protests, 6,369 demonstrations, occurred during the first six months of 2014 with an average of 35 protests per day. SVCO estimated that 445 protests occurred in January; 2,248 in February; 1,423 in March; 1,131 in April; 633 in May; and 489 in June. The main reason of protest was against President Maduro and the Venezuelan government with 52% of demonstrations and the remaining 42% of protests were due to other difficulties such as labor, utilities, insecurity, education and shortages. Most protesting began in the first week of February, reaching peak numbers in the middle of that month following the call of students and opposition leaders to protest. The number of protests then declined into mid-2014 only to increase slightly in late 2014 into 2015 following the drop in the price of oil and due to the
shortages in Venezuela Shortages in Venezuela of food staples and basic necessities occurred throughout Venezuela's history. Scarcity became more widespread following the enactment of price controls and other policies under the government of Hugo Chávez and exac ...
.


Growing unrest

Demonstrations against violence in Venezuela began in January 2014 following the murder of actress and former
Miss Venezuela Miss Venezuela (Spanish: ''Organización Miss Venezuela'') is a Venezuelan beauty pageant operated by the Cisneros Group. Founded in 1952, it currently selects Venezuelan representatives to Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International. ...
Mónica Spear Mónica Spear Mootz (1 October 1984 – 6 January 2014) was a Venezuelan actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss Venezuela 2004. She represented Venezuela at Miss Universe 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand and finished as 4th runne ...
, and continued, when former presidential candidate
Henrique Capriles Henrique Capriles Radonski (; born 11 July 1972) is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer, who served as the 36th Governor of Miranda (state), Miranda from 2008 to 2017. Born in Caracas, he received a degree in law from the Universidad Católica ...
shook the hand of President Maduro; this "gesture... cost him support and helped propel" opposition leader Leopoldo López Mendoza to the forefront. According to the Associated Press, well before protests began in the Venezuelan capital city of Caracas, the attempted rape of a young student on a university campus in San Cristóbal, in the western border state of
Táchira Táchira State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal, Táchira, San Cristóbal. Táchira State covers a total surface area of and as of the 2011 census, had a population of 1,168,9 ...
, led to protests from students "outraged" at "long-standing complaints about deteriorating security under President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor, the late Hugo Chávez. But what really set them off was the harsh police response to their initial protest, in which several students were detained and allegedly abused, as well as follow-up demonstrations to call for their release". These protests expanded, attracted non-students, and led to more detentions; eventually, other students joined, and the protests spread to Caracas and other cities, with opposition leaders becoming involved.
Leopoldo López Leopoldo Eduardo López Mendoza (born 29 April 1971) is a Venezuelan opposition leader. López was elected mayor of the Chacao Municipality of Caracas in the 2000 Venezuelan regional elections, regional elections held in July 2000. He is the N ...
, a leading figure in the opposition to the government, began to lead protests. During events surrounding the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, Lopez "orchestrated the public protests against Chávez and he played a central role in the citizen's arrest of Chavez's interior minister",
Ramón Rodríguez Chacín Ramón Rodríguez Chacín (born November 9, 1951) is a Venezuelan politician. A retired naval officer, he was Minister of the Interior and Justice in 2002, and again in 2008. He took part in the November 1992 coup attempt. Early years Rodrígue ...
, though he later tried to distance himself from the event, López, alongside
María Corina Machado María Corina Machado Parisca (born 7 October 1967) is a Venezuelan politician and industrial engineer who is currently Venezuelan opposition, opposition leader in Venezuela. She served as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela ...
launch a campaign on 23 January 2014, named ''
La Salida La Salida () was a Venezuelan opposition political campaign launched on 23 January 2014 that was based on civil disobedience in an effort to bring an end to the government of President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro. The initiative was promoted by ...
'' (The Exit), with an intent to have President Maduro resign through protests.


Mass demonstrations

On 1 February, López called upon students to protest peacefully against the scarcity, insecurity, and shortages. The next day, opposition leaders call for a march on 12 February in recognition of National Youth Day. On 12 February, major opposition protests began with student marches led by opposition leaders in 38 cities across Venezuela simultaneous with the national celebrations for the bicentennial year anniversary of Youth Day and the Battle of La Victoria. After the protests, smaller groups remained and threw stones at government forces. The protests turned more violent after government security forces used excessive force on protesters and shot at groups of unarmed people.
Bassil Da Costa Bassil Da Costa (Guatire, 7 May 1990 – Caracas, 12 February 2014) was a Venezuelan university student, killed during the 2014 Venezuelan protests, 2014 protests against the Government of Venezuela, Venezuelan government, the first death of the ...
was the first protester to die after getting a bullet to the head. Later that day, another protester, Robert Reddman, and a pro-government activist were also killed in Caracas. President Maduro blamed "fascist" groups for the deaths caused that day, including opposition leader Leopoldo López, during his closing address in the Youth Day parade that evening in La Victoria, Aragua state. The next day on 13 February following the death of a
colectivo ''Colectivo'' ( English: collective bus) is the name given in Argentina to a type of public transportation vehicle, especially those of Argentina's capital city, Buenos Aires. The name comes from ''vehículos de transporte colectivo'' ("vehicl ...
member Juan "Juancho" Montoya, members of colectivos "went on television to call for calm and called for the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. Judge Ralenys Tovar Guillén accepts the Public Ministry's petition to detain Leopoldo López in connection with the unrest that resulted in the death of the colectivo leader and two students. Leopoldo López delivers a speech on 18 February in Plaza Brión where he pointed out that its necessary to build "a peaceful exit, inside the constitution but in the streets" and assured that "there isn't free media anymore to express themselves and if the media stays silent they must go to the streets". He declared that "if his imprisonment allows Venezuela to wake up definitely and for the Venezuelans that want a change, his imprisonment will be worth it." He turned himself to the National Guard at 12:24 P.M., Venezuelan time, and said he was turning himself to a "corrupt justice". After Lopez turned himself in, the opposition protesters blocked the Francisco Fajardo Highway. Miss Tourism Venezuela
Génesis Carmona Génesis Cristina Carmona Tovar (20 September 1991 – 19 February 2014) was a Venezuelan fashion model, beauty queen, and college student who was killed while protesting against the government of Venezuela during the 2014 Venezuelan protests. S ...
is killed by colectivo gunfire on 19 February after being shot in the head while supporting an opposition protest.
MUD Mud (, or Middle Dutch) is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. Mud is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone (generally cal ...
leader
Henrique Capriles Henrique Capriles Radonski (; born 11 July 1972) is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer, who served as the 36th Governor of Miranda (state), Miranda from 2008 to 2017. Born in Caracas, he received a degree in law from the Universidad Católica ...
breaks his silence and confronts
Francisco Ameliach Francisco José Ameliach Orta (born 14 June 1963) is a Venezuelan retired military officer and politician who is vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV). Political career Born in Valencia, Ameliach was part of the 1992 V ...
, government officials and denounced the violence the government was using on the protesters. On 23 February, about 30 military units arrived at the residence of retired brigadier general
Ángel Vivas Ángel Omar Vivas Perdomo is a Venezuelan Brigadier General. He has made himself known as an outspoken opponent of the politicization of the Venezuela, Venezuelan Armed Forces, by going to the supreme court to challenge the introduction of a war ...
to arrest him. According to
CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...
, Vivas "rose to prominence in 2007 when he resigned as head of the Defence Ministry's engineering department rather than order his subalterns to swear to the Cuban-inspired oath 'Socialist Fatherland or death'." Vivas reported that "Cubans and thugs" were attacking his house and moments later appeared atop the roof of his house wearing a
flak jacket The two components of an obsolete British military flak vest. On the left, the ballistic_nylon.html" ;"title="nylon vest. On the right, the 12 layers of ballistic nylon">nylon vest. On the right, the 12 layers of ballistic nylon that provide the ...
along with an
assault rifle An assault rifle is a select fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge, intermediate-rifle cartridge and a Magazine (firearms), detachable magazine.C. Taylor, ''The Fighting Rifle: A Complete Study of the Rifle in Combat'', F.A. Moyer '' ...
saying "Come find me Maduro!". National Guardsmen made a barricade in front of Vivas' house but neighbors and supporters defended Vivas by placing a barricade of vehicles in front of the troops. The troops retreated without arresting Vivas after the citizens refused to leave the area. Vivas later explained why he thought Venezuelans needed to defend the country from foreigners, saying "Cubans are in all structures of the Venezuelan state" and also explained that he told protesters to set up barricades in order to defend themselves against attacks from the National Guard. On 29 February,
Sukhoi The JSC Sukhoi Company (, ) is a Russian aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Begovoy District, Northern Administrative Okrug, Moscow, that designs both civilian and military aircraft. Sukhoi was founded in the Soviet Union by Pavel Sukhoi ...
fighter jets Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the air ...
of the
Venezuelan Air Force Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela (), is a professional armed body designed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and airspace. It is a service component of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela. Etymology The organization is al ...
were seen flying over San Cristóbal, Táchira, Venezuela on 20 February and President Nicolás Maduro ordered paratroopers of the 41st Airborne Brigade, 4th Armored Division, Venezuelan Army on standby on recommendations from the Minister of Interior and Justice, Lieutenant General
Miguel Rodríguez Torres Miguel Eduardo Rodríguez Torres (born 21 January 1964) was the Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace of Venezuela from 2013, until he was replaced by Carmen Meléndez on 24 October 2014. Military career In 1980, he attended the Military Acade ...
.


Protest violence


Colectivos

In March 2014, paramilitary groups acted violently in 437 protests, about 31% of total protests in March, where gunshot wounds were reported in most protests they were involved in. According to a correspondent from Televen, armed groups attempted to kidnap and rape individuals in an apartment complex in
Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...
on 27 March without intervention from the National Guard. On 16 April, colectivos in several trucks allegedly attacked an apartment complex known for protesting damaging five vehicles, leaving two burnt, and fired several shots into the apartments leaving one person injured from a gunshot wound. In early May, armed colectivos allegedly attacked and burnt down Universidad Fermín Toro after intimidating student protesters and shooting one.


Government forces


Use of firearms

''El Nacional'' said that the objective of those attacking opposition protesters is to kill since many of the protesters that were killed were shot in vulnerable areas like the head and that, "9 of the 15 dead people were from the 12F demonstrators, who were injured by state security forces or paramilitaries linked to the ruling party." '' El Universal'' has claimed that Melvin Collazos of
SEBIN The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (, SEBIN) is the premier intelligence agency in Venezuela. SEBIN is an internal security force subordinate to the Vice President of Venezuela since 2012 and is dependent on Vice President Delcy Rodríg ...
, and Jonathan Rodríquez, a bodyguard of the Minister of the Interior and Justice
Miguel Rodríguez Torres Miguel Eduardo Rodríguez Torres (born 21 January 1964) was the Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace of Venezuela from 2013, until he was replaced by Carmen Meléndez on 24 October 2014. Military career In 1980, he attended the Military Acade ...
, are in custody after shooting unarmed, fleeing, protesters several times in violation of protocol.


Use of chemical agents

Some demonstrations have been controlled with tear gas and water cannons. Some mysterious chemical agents were used in Venezuela as well. On 20 March 2014, the appearance of "red gas" first occurred when it was used in San Cristóbal against protesters, with reports that it was
CN gas Phenacyl chloride, also commonly known as chloroacetophenone, is a substituted acetophenone. It is a useful building block in organic chemistry. Apart from that, it has been historically used as a riot control agent, where it is designated CN. I ...
. The first reported use of "green gas" was on 15 February 2014 against demonstrations in Altamira. On 25 April 2014, "green gas" was reportedly used again on protesters in Mérida. Venezuelan-American
Ricardo Hausmann Ricardo Hausmann (born 1956) is the former Director of the Center for International Development currently leading the Center for International Development's Growth Lab and is a professor of the Practice of Economic Development at the Harvard Ken ...
, director of the Center for International Development at
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
, declared that this gas caused protesters to vomit. Others reported that the chemical used was
adamsite Adamsite or DM is an organic compound; technically, an arsenical diphenylaminechlorarsine, that can be used as a riot control agent. DM belongs to the group of chemical warfare agents known as vomiting agents or sneeze gases. First synthesized ...
, a yellow-green
arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...
al
chemical weapon A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...
that can cause respiratory distress, nausea and vomiting. In April 2014, Amnesty International worried about "the use of chemical toxins in high concentrations” by government forces and recommended better training for them. During the months of protest in 2014, the heavy use of tear gas by authorities in Chacao affected surrounding residents and forced them to wear gas masks to "survive" in their homes. Regional human rights groups also denounced the usage of "green gas", stating that its usage is "internationally banned". A study by Mónica Kräuter, a chemist and professor, involved the collection of thousands of tear gas canisters fired by Venezuelan authorities in 2014. She stated that the majority of canisters used the main component
CS gas The compound 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (also called ''o''-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile; chemical formula: C10H5ClN2), a cyanocarbon, is the defining component of the lachrymatory agent commonly referred to as CS gas, a tear gas which ...
, supplied by Cóndor of Brazil, which meets Geneva Convention requirements. However, 72% of the tear gas used was expired and other canisters produced in Venezuela by Cavim did not show adequate labels or expiration dates. Following the expiration of tear gas, Krauter notes that it "breaks down into
cyanide In chemistry, cyanide () is an inorganic chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Ionic cyanides contain the cyanide anion . This a ...
oxide,
phosgene Phosgene is an organic chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic, colorless gas; in low concentrations, its musty odor resembles that of freshly cut hay or grass. It can be thought of chemically as the double acyl chloride analog of ...
s and
nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...
s that are extremely dangerous".


Arbitrary detentions

Multiple NGOs reported mass arbitrary detentions of demonstrators, political activists and key figures that were targeted. During the period between 12 February and 31 May 2014, the human rights NGO
Foro Penal Foro Penal () is a Venezuelan human rights organization that provides legal assistance ''pro bono'' to people subject of arbitrary detentions and their relatives. The organization is composed of regional coordinators for each state in Venezuela, ...
verified 3,127 arbitrary detentions. Many of the detentions were carried out by
SEBIN The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (, SEBIN) is the premier intelligence agency in Venezuela. SEBIN is an internal security force subordinate to the Vice President of Venezuela since 2012 and is dependent on Vice President Delcy Rodríg ...
agents, who targeted political activists that later became Deputies before the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
, like
Rosmit Mantilla Rosmit Mantilla (born 13 December 1982) is a Venezuelan politician, who was elected to the National Assembly of Venezuela in the 2015 Venezuelan parliamentary election.Rodrigo Diamanti Rodrigo Diamanti is a Venezuelan human rights activist, who is the founder and president of Un Mundo Sin Mordaza, a human rights NGO. His work includes advocacy for freedom of expression, fundamental rights, and democratic values in Venezuela and ...
, detained after a raid to the premises of the NGO that he directed, Un Mundo Sin Mordaza, to whom is attributed the creation of the campaign SOS Venezuela According to Alfredo Romero, the director of
Foro Penal Foro Penal () is a Venezuelan human rights organization that provides legal assistance ''pro bono'' to people subject of arbitrary detentions and their relatives. The organization is composed of regional coordinators for each state in Venezuela, ...
, the detainees often suffered cruel and unusual treatment, often rising to torture.


Media


Domestic media

Shortly after protests began, the
Inter American Press Association The Inter American Press Association (IAPA; Spanish: ''Sociedad Interamericana de Prensa'', SIP) is a press advocacy group representing major media organizations in North America, South America and the Caribbean. It is made up of more than 1,300 ...
protested against the "official censorship" of media by the government in Venezuela which included blocking the internet, banning channels, revoking foreign media credentials, harassing reporters and limiting resources for newspapers. A group of Venezuelan artists created a group called "Eco" in late-February 2014 to speak out against violations and crimes that have happened in Venezuela during the protests. VTV made a satirical parody of the videos made by the Eco group. In March 2014 as a response to newspaper shortages and closing of 13 Venezuelan newspapers, the Colombian newspaper organization Andiarios sent a caravan of trucks carrying 52 tons of resources to ''El Nacional'', ''El Impulso'' and ''El Nuevo País'' as part of the "We are all Venezuela. No press freedom, no democracy" movement to help defend "press freedom and the right to information". Newspaper organizations in Puerto Rico, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago have also shipped newspaper to Venezuela to help ease newspaper shortages caused by price restrictions set by the Venezuelan government.


Resignations

There were 34 resignations and 17 dismissals of journalists during the protests. The head of investigative journalists at ''Últimas Noticias'' resigned after being told not to do a story on ''guarimbas'' and after the manager tried to force her to say that the ''guarimbas'' were funded, that they were not protesters and to conclude the story by condemning them. While on air, Reimy Chávez, a news anchor for ''Globovision'' also resigned and was directed out of the studio by security guards. A cameraman who resigned from
Globovisión Globovisión is a 24-hour television news network. It broadcasts over-the-air in Caracas, Aragua, Carabobo and Zulia on UHF channel 33. Globovisión is seen in the rest of Venezuela on cable or satellite (Globovisión has an alliance with Dir ...
shared images that were censored by the news agency showing National Guard troops and colectivos working together during the protests. A journalist for Globovision, Carlos Arturo Albino, resigned saying it was because "I do not want to be complicit silence. I'm not trained to be silent."


Foreign media

Equipment belonging to
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
was "stolen at gunpoint" on 19 February and possibly destroyed by government forces. President Maduro threatened to force CNN out of Venezuela the next day, saying, "I've asked the (information) minister to tell CNN we have started the administrative process to remove them from Venezuela if they don't rectify (their behavior). Enough! I won't accept war propaganda against Venezuela." On 21 February 2014, the government revoked press credentials of seven CNN journalists with CNN responding to the government by saying, "CNN has reported both sides of the tense situation in Venezuela, even with very limited access to government officials ... We hope the government will reconsider its decision. Meanwhile, we will continue reporting on Venezuela in the fair, accurate and balanced manner we are known for."


Attacks on reporters

On February 15, 2014, freelance photojournalist Gabriel Osorio was shot with a pellet gun by members of the National Guard. Furthermore, he was kicked repeatedly on the face, stomach, and genitals. On 22 April 2014, reporters from ''
La Patilla ''La Patilla'' ( English: ''The Watermelon'') is a Venezuelan news website that was founded by Alberto Federico Ravell, co-founder and former CEO of Globovisión, in 2010. In 2014, '' El Nuevo Herald'' stated ''La Patilla'' had hundreds of tho ...
'' that were covering events in Santa Fe were retained by the National Guard. The team of reporters were accused of being "fake journalists", had to show their ID's to the National Guardsmen and had their pictures taken. They were later released without further complications. In another incident, a photojournalist from ''La Patilla'' was assaulted by National Police who tried to take his camera and hit him in the head with the butt of a shotgun while he covering protests in Las Mercedes. A week after being attacked in Las Mercedes, the same photojournalist for ''La Patilla'' was assaulted by the National Police again who tried to take his camera while covering protests in the Las Minitas neighborhood in
Baruta Baruta (pop. 317,288) is a municipality within the Metropolitan District of Caracas in Venezuela. Geography Baruta is located geographically in the South-East section of the city. Its western limit is the '' Los Chaguaramos'' neighborhood ( ...
. While covering protests on 14 May, a group of reporters said they were assaulted by the National Guard saying they were fired at and that the National Guard attempted to arrest a reporter. On 27 May 2014, a reporter for ''La Patilla'' was attacked for the third time while covering clashes when he was shot by the National Guard. Two reporters were injured on 5 June after being shot with buckshot coming from a National Guard vehicle and reported it to Lieutenant Colonel Rafael Quero Silva of the National Guard, who denied their accounts. On 3 July 2014, during a protest near the Catholic University of Táchira, an NTN24 reporter said he was arrested, beaten and had his passport and ID taken by National Police officers.


Censorship

Images on
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
were reported to be unavailable for at least some users in Venezuela for 3 days (12–15 February 2014) after allegedly being blocked by the government. Twitter spokesman Nu Wexler stated that, "I can confirm that the images are now blocked Twitter in Venezuela" adding that " believe it the government that is blocking". According to the ''Huffington Post'', the alleged internet blockage by the government was directed at the opposition since it prevented live coverage of government crackdowns with
Zello Zello is a tech software company in Austin, Texas, U.S., known for the Zello app, which emulates push-to-talk (PTT) walkie-talkies over cell phone networks. History Alexey Gavrilov developed the product originally called Loudtalks which was ann ...
announcing that CANTV blocked the use of its walkie-talkie app that was used by opposition protesters. In an interview with ''La Patilla'', Chief Technology Officer of Zello, Alexey Gavrilov, said that after they opened four new servers for Venezuela, it still appeared that the same direct blocking from CANTV is the cause of the Zello outage. The Venezuelan government said Zello was blocked due to "terrorist acts" and statements by
TeleSUR Telesur (stylized as teleSUR) is a Latin American terrestrial and satellite news television network headquartered in Caracas, Venezuela, and sponsored by the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. First proposed in 2005 and subsidized ...
about radical opposition after the government monitored staged messages from "internet trolls" that used a Honeypot trap against authorities.


In popular media

* The 2023 film ''Simón'', directed by Venezuelan filmmaker
Diego Vicentini Diego Vicentini (born 1994) is a Venezuelan film maker. His debut feature film, '' Simón'', was nominated for the 38th Goya Awards in the Best Ibero-American film category in representation of Venezuela and reached the #6 spot on Netflix's Glob ...
, follows a Venezuelan protester that is detained during the demonstrations and tortured along with his companions.


See also

*
La Salida La Salida () was a Venezuelan opposition political campaign launched on 23 January 2014 that was based on civil disobedience in an effort to bring an end to the government of President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro. The initiative was promoted by ...
*
Reactions to the 2014 Venezuelan protests Reactions to the 2014 Venezuelan protests have been declared by numerous domestic and international organizations, responding to events occurring throughout the years of protests. The reactions are listed below. Reactions Supranational bodies ...
*
Protests against Nicolás Maduro In 2014, a series of protests, political demonstrations, and civil insurrection began in Venezuela due to the country's high levels of urban violence, inflation, and chronic shortages of basic goods and services. Explanations for these worsening ...
*
2017 Venezuelan protests The 2017 Venezuelan protests were a series of protests occurring throughout Venezuela. Protests began in January 2017 after the arrest of multiple opposition leaders and the cancellation of dialogue between the opposition and Nicolás Maduro's g ...
*
2019 Venezuelan protests The 2019 Venezuelan protests were a collection of protests that were organized, since 11 January, as a coordinated effort to remove Nicolás Maduro from the presidency. Demonstrations began following Maduro's controversial second inauguration ...
*
List of protests in the 21st century This is a list of protests in the 21st century. Revolutions and uprisings Plants (Colour) revolutions * Rose Revolution (Georgia, 2003) * Tulip Revolution (Kyrgyzstan, 2005) * Cedar Revolution (Lebanon, 2005) * Orange Revolution (Ukraine, 2 ...


References

{{Venezuela topics 2014 Venezuelan protests