This story was originally published on Pirate Wire Services
As National Guard officers reviewed phones at a checkpoint set up in Caracas, a protester who spoke to PWS turned a corner to avoid being caught up in the warrantless searches. “One of my neighbors was arrested for having anti-government messages on their phone,” he said, asking that his name be withheld for safety reasons.
“No one can find where he was sent, what he was charged with, or any information about him at all.”
Thousands of Venezuelans have deactivated their social media accounts or gone private after the relaunch of “Operation Tun Tun (knock knock)” by the Venezuelan government, which consists of a webpage, WhatsApp number, and an app that allows users to anonymously report neighbors or acquaintances for “subversive activity” like attending protests, posting anti-government statements on social media, or even criticizing the government verbally.
Security forces then detain suspects at their residences, usually charging them under the country’s “anti-hate law,” which allows up to 20 years of imprisonment for statements that “incite hatred” against government officials.
The Venezuelan government says it has arrested more than 2,000 protesters since Nicolas Maduro declared victory in the disputed presidential elections held on Sunday, July 28. Human rights groups have documented cases of arbitrary detentions, torture, and at least 24 deaths.
Staffers for opposition politicians and human rights activists have also been arrested by security forces. Maduro has called for the arrest of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claim that the Maduro government committed massive voting fraud.
Many of the contacts PWS has been speaking to in Venezuela have deactivated their social media accounts or gone private and will only communicate via secure messaging apps.
“We can’t speak on neighbor groups or Instagram,” said “Ana,” who asked that her real name be withheld. “I’m working with NGOs that report internet outages and collect information on these state programs,” she continued. “I can’t risk getting detained or they will torture me.”
Despite the widespread crackdowns, opposition supporters have staged massive protests across the country. In Caracas, Machado emerged from hiding to attend a rally last Saturday with tens of thousands of supporters.
“After six days of brutal repression, they thought they were going to shut us up, stop us, or frighten us…look at the answer,” she said to supporters.
The Venezuelan government is increasingly coming under pressure from the international community. The Carter Center, which Maduro has praised in the past, released a statement saying that “Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election did not meet international standards of electoral integrity and cannot be considered democratic.”
Even beyond the fraud allegations, the organization, which has defended Venezuelan elections in the past, criticized “restricted freedoms,” widespread voter suppression, and “a clear bias” by election officials in favor of Maduro.
The United States has recognized Gonzalez as the winner of the election. Leftist leaders in the region from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile have called upon Maduro to release voting data and negotiate with opposition leaders.
Last week, Maduro claimed that voting data could not be released due to “a massive hacking effort,” which he claims was organized by Elon Musk, whom he challenged to a fight earlier in the week. He provided no proof of the allegations.
In the same speech, he called for the construction of “massive maximum security prisons” to hold “this new generation of protesters.”
Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which is controlled by Maduro’s party, has rubber-stamped Maduro’s claims of victory.
Meanwhile, even in Venezuela’s working-class neighborhoods, which were once bastions of Chavista support, protests against Maduro’s rule have continued.
Credit cover photo: Anita Pouchard Serra