RSF demands responses from Venezuelan authorities about press freedom defender’s disappearance
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Venezuelan authorities to shed light on the fate of Carlos Correa, a press freedom defender who was abducted on 7 January in the capital, Caracas, in a manner typical of an arrest by state security forces and amid an increase in repression as President Nicolás Maduro prepares to be sworn in for another term.
The head of Espacio Público – an NGO that defends media freedom and human rights and is an RSF partner – Carlos Correa was seen for the last time at around 5 p.m. in downtown Caracas. Witnesses said he was abducted by masked gunmen dressed in black who forced him to get into a brown vehicle with no licence plates.
His fate has remained unknown since then, and the many requests to the authorities by Espacio Público, his family and dozens of national and international civil society organisations have remained unanswered.
On 8 January, Correa's family filed a habeas corpus request at the central Caracas lawcourts demanding that his whereabouts be made known. But, according to the information currently available to RSF, the family has not been granted official access to the system that enables a judge to be assigned to the case.
His disappearance bears all the hallmarks of the methods often used by Venezuela’s state security forces to arbitrarily arrest critics of the Maduro government. And it comes against a backdrop of heightened repression before Maduro is due to be sworn in for another term as president on 10 January.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has condemned Correa’s “forced disappearance.” In an interview on the evening of 8 January, Venezuelan interior minister Diosdado Cabello accused Correa of using his organisation to launder money and participate in a conspiracy against Venezuela.
“We express our deep concern about Carlos Correa’s fate and we urge the Venezuelan government to end its silence, shed light on his situation and guarantee his safety. Given his state of health, about which his relatives have expressed deep concern, we insist on the urgency of ensuring that he has access to essential medical care and that his physical and psychological integrity be preserved. It is urgent that he be released.
A respected academic and committed activist with more than 20 years of experience defending freedom of expression, Correa has played a key role in documenting attacks on civil liberties and press freedom in Venezuela.
Correa’s plight highlights the urgent need for more international support to prevent a further decline in press freedom and human rights in Venezuela.
