Paola Lander, sister of 17-year-old Venezuelan activist Neomar Alejandro Lander, who died during the 2017 anti-government protests, becomes emotional during a press conference in Madrid on Wednesday. Relatives of those killed in the 2014, 2017, and 2024 protests in Venezuela are calling for the transitional authorities and the international community to ensure that those responsible for state violence are prosecuted. Photo by Borja Sanchez-Trillo/EPA
The detention of 15 teenagers who were arrested accused of terrorism after playing with water in eastern Venezuela has reinforced a climate of fear and uncertainty in a country where citizens say they can be detained for virtually any reason under the ongoing state of emergency.
The incident occurred Jan. 5, when the Bolivarian National Police and state police carried out an operation after receiving an anonymous tip alleging “terrorist acts” in the area.
During the operation, 15 adolescents between age 13 and 17, along with eight adult men, were detained and taken to a local preventive detention center. They were accused of celebrating the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro, according to local outlet Efecto Cocuyo.
Less than 48 hours later, the detainees were brought before a court in a remote hearing, after which a judge ordered them to remain in custody.
Family members said the adolescents and the adults were charged with serious crimes, including terrorism, criminal association, incitement to hatred and treason, and were not allowed to be represented by private attorneys.
Venezuelan lawyer and former prosecutor Zair Mundaray described the case as a “national scandal” and said the teenagers were brought before the courts after alleged instructions from the prosecutor’s office.
Lawyers and human rights organizations have warned that, under the current state of emergency, such procedures have been used to justify detentions, even against minors.
After days of pressure by social media followers, the teenagers were released in the early hours of Tuesday and returned to their families, though they are still required to appear before the court.
Accounts gathered by UPI describe a scenario of administrative normalcy overshadowed by fear and uncertainty.
A Venezuelan lawyer who asked to be identified as Jason for security reasons told UPI that people in Venezuela live in a complex situation, as the government has never been transparent in its actions, and even less so now.
He described the social climate as a “calm between storms,” marked by expectation and silence.
“There is a lot of uncertainty, but no one expresses it out loud,” he said.
Jason added that, on a day-to-day basis, there are no visible changes in how the state functions, despite the new political context.
“They are not in a mode of confrontation with the outside world as before, but administrative functions continue as they have,” he said.
Another account given to UPI reinforces the climate of daily fear. A Venezuelan who identified himself as Robert for security reasons said the state of emergency is having a visible impact on daily life in different parts of the country.
He recounted police officers in Caracas stopped one of his friends, and they confiscated his phone. After finding a photograph of President Maduro detained, they threatened to arrest him unless he paid $10,000.
“He didn’t have that amount of money. All he could manage to gather and negotiate was $4,500. They released him, but warned him to keep a low profile and not draw attention or they would come for him,” Robert said.
“I can’t give more details about what happened, other than to warn everyone who lives in Venezuela. Don’t leave your homes with cellphones, or make sure to delete chats, photos and anything that could be interpreted as rejection of the government,” he said.
Luciana, who works as a waitress at a restaurant in Chile, said her children who live in Caracas don’t want to go out on the street, and if they do, they do not carry their cellphones.
“Despite the changes, we don’t know when we will be able to reunite. I haven’t seen my children for five years,” she said.
Researcher Ronal Rodríguez, from the Venezuela Laboratory at Universidad del Rosario, told Red Más Noticias that conditions governing the public’s behavior in Venezuela are highly complex.
“The regime has opted to intensify the use of the repressive apparatus. Venezuelan citizens today not only fear the security forces, but especially the pro-government colectivos,” he said.
Rodríguez added that “these paramilitary criminal organizations serving the revolution are detaining people in the streets, checking their cellphones and mistreating them, in a dynamic aimed at generating fear so citizens do not express themselves in any way.”
As citizens describe a climate of fear and self-censorship, the regime maintains that it is moving forward with a process of prisoner releases that independent organizations question.
Official figures on releases have shown contradictions in recent days.
While the Ministry of Penitentiary Services said 116 political prisoners have been released, National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, brother of interim President Delcy Rodríguez, said the number of people released already exceeds 400.
Human rights group Foro Penal said the releases do not exceed 70 people, criticizing the lack of information about the identities of those freed and the criteria used.
Unlike in previous years, many relatives have begun to publicly denounce the situation and hold vigils outside detention centers, camping for days while waiting for information or the release of their loved ones — an unprecedented form of protest in Venezuela.
Complaints from families of political prisoners continue to grow, with relatives still awaiting news about the immediate future of their loved ones.
From Chile, Nicole Carrasco, daughter of Lt. Col. Ovidio Carrasco, a Chilean-Venezuelan citizen detained by the Venezuelan regime since January 2019, called for support to raise awareness of her father’s case and that of hundreds of people jailed for political reasons in Venezuela.
She said she decided to break her silence to prevent the case from “being forgotten,” and argued that many civilians and military personnel remain imprisoned for refusing to take part in actions they believed were harmful to the country.
Carrasco, who lives in exile for security reasons, said her father was detained for strictly political reasons and is being held at the Rodeo I prison, which she described as operating as a center of torture and isolation for political prisoners in Venezuela.
She noted that her father holds Chilean nationality and reported a serious deterioration in his health, including weight loss, visible physical injuries and lasting effects of torture.
“Neither fear nor silence protect anyone,” she said, calling on the international community and the press to amplify these allegations.
