Venezuela orders that supporters of US military operation be arrested

Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has ordered police to “immediately” arrest anyone who shows support for the United States military operation carried out on Saturday that ended with the capture of Nicolás Maduro and an estimated death toll of 80. The measure is included in a decree ordering a state of “external commotion,” a legal tool granting her full power over the country’s political, economic, and social situation for 90 days, with the possibility of extending it for an additional 90 days.  The decree was published in Venezuela’s Official Gazette on Monday but dated January 3, the day of the U.S. attack. This is the first time the government has used this disposition since it was created in 1999. The document also details measures to repel the foreign military incursion, including the deployment of the national armed forces across the country and the reinforcement of border security. Human rights concerns Human rights organizations expressed concern over the decree, especially the article explicitly ordering the capture of those who backed the U.S. operation. Initial estimates say that dozens of people have already been arrested.  On Monday, the police of Merida — a city 600 km away from Caracas — announced they had detained two middle-aged men who were “celebrating the kidnapping” of Maduro. The officers made the arrest after responding to an anonymous call saying the men were yelling, “inciting violence,” and firing guns. According to Venezuelan attorney Gonzalo Himiob, the article is “very dangerous” because it allows for “a subjective interpretation of what can be considered support or not.”  “This opens the door to abuse, because it’s up to the officials to determine who ends up in jail and who doesn’t, without further regulation,” said Himiob, who is vice president of Foro Penal, an NGO defending the human rights of political prisoners and people who were arbitrarily arrested. He also warned about how the decree gives “very broad powers to the government to control the citizenship.” This includes the potential seizure of goods necessary for the defense of the nation, without providing details on how this would happen or what would happen to the goods afterwards.  This, Himiob told the Herald, could lead to “serious violations of property rights.” There is also concern regarding an article ordering residents to actively cooperate with authorities in national defense tasks but not providing any details of how this would work.  The decree also restricts or closes border crossings and suspends the right to gatherings and public demonstrations. As of December 29, Foro Penal had registered 863 political prisoners. Included in this total are three Argentines and one Argentine-Venezuelan. One of them is military police officer Nahuel Gallo, who was arrested in December 2024 after being accused of being part of an alleged plot against Venezuela. Journalists arrested On Monday, 14 journalists — one local and the rest from international outlets — were arrested while covering the National Assembly session where new lawmakers were sworn in and Delcy Rodríguez formally became “acting president.”  The arrests happened inside the parliament, on the premises of the building, and in the nearby area of Altamira. In addition, two other journalists were arrested on the Colombian border. One of them is from Spain, and the other is Colombian. They were released hours later and are currently in Colombia. The union said the arrests were “alarming” and called for “safeguards” to continue carrying out their work as journalists, as well as “an end to persecution” and freedom for 23 press workers who continue under arrest.