Bogota, Colombia – Jesus Medina Ezaine had already spent 16 months in a Venezuelan military prison, accused of crimes he said were related to his work as a photographer.
But another prison term seemed imminent, especially after the re-election against of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
With Maduro about to be sworn in for a third term, Medina, 43, made a difficult decision: to flee his home in Venezuela for the relative safety of Bogota, the capital of neighboring Colombia.
“Before they could put me back in jail, I decided to escape,” Medina said.
Maduro's government has long faced criticism for the alleged repression of political rivals. But Friday holiday celebration It is expected to bring the recent election crisis to a head, with observers warning that the violence could escalate as Maduro tries to hold on to power.
“The regime is going to do everything they can to ensure that Maduro can be reinstated and that he can continue his administration,” said Juan Pappier, deputy director of the Americas division at Human Rights Watch.
“If they see that ability being challenged in any way, for example through demonstrations (led by opponents), they are going to be violently overpowered. “
Environment of fear
Medina remembers his last months in Venezuela as being terrified.
Before the controversial election, he had joined the opposition leader's campaign Maria Corina Machado as a photographer, documenting her efforts to drum up support for a presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.
But that job again made him a target.
Medina was not unknown to the Maduro government: In 2018, he was arrested on charges of money laundering, criminal association and incitement to hate, all of which he denies.
Instead, he claims his arrest was in retaliation for reporting human rights abuses. He was held without trial in the Ramo Verde military prison until January 2020.
“The Venezuelan regime does not accept any comments or information against them,” he said.
“The media is afraid,” Medina said. “Freedom of expression in Venezuela has been completely lost because journalists inside Venezuela are doing everything they can to avoid prison. “
But the presidential election on July 28, 2024, given political repression worse than any Medina had seen before.
A few hours after the polls closed, Maduro's National Electoral Council announced the winner, without offering the usual breakdown of vote tallies.
At the same time, the opposition published receipts of the votes which instead suggested that Gonzalez had won the election with almost 70 percent of the vote. As protests began regarding the alleged electoral fraud, there was a crackdown from the government.
As state forces swept the streets for protesters, seizing dissidents from their homes, Medina said he was told he would be jailed – again.
He quickly went into hiding. Medina spent two months in different places in the capital Caracas, trying to avoid arrest. He said that the country's intelligence forces had already knocked at the door of his home in the village.
Feeling that he was blamed, Medina decided to flee September 15 to Bogota, where he has lived ever since.
A wave of suffocation
Up to 2,500 people were ultimately detained in the post-election protests, according to government statistics.
Another 25 people were killed, according to independent investigators for the United Nations called “unprecedented levels of violence”.
UN fact-finding mission name earlier this month that at least 56 political opposition activists, 10 journalists and one human rights defender were among those arrested between August and December.
On Tuesday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also sent published a report which claims that systematic state repression was aimed at “preventing the political participation of the opposition” and “instilling terror among citizens”.
But before the inauguration on Friday, more than 1,500 prisoners were held after the election. are releasedin what critics say could be an attempt to reduce scrutiny of the government's human rights record.
Alfredo Romero, director of Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights watchdog, explained that “several innocent young people with their relatives, especially their mothers, were at the door of the prisons” holding vigils showing a bad opinion of the Maduro administration .
Rights groups have also questioned the accuracy of the government's figures.
Romero said at least 1,749 prisoners were still in custody as of the first week of January, and that more alleged dissidents had been detained since then.
“People may be released from prison, but that does not mean that new ones will not be imprisoned,” he said.
Initial backup
Despite widespread fears of a crackdown, demonstrations are expected on Maduro's third inauguration day.
Gonzalez, the opposition's presidential candidate, has also promised to withdraw from Venezuela exile abroad and be sworn in on Friday. It is not clear how or if he will follow through on that promise.
In a video message posted to social media on Sunday, Machado, who has been hiding in Venezuela for months, asked Venezuelans to march to support the transition of power this week.
“Maduro is not going to go away alone, we have to take him away with the strength of a people who will never give up,” Machado said. “It is time to stand firm and make them understand that this is as far as they will go. That this is over.”
Meanwhile, Maduro's government has increased security and sent more than 1,200 armed personnel to cities across the country to “guarantee peace” on the day of the inauguration.
The government has also arrested more than 12 human rights defenders, political activists, and opposition relatives in recent days, according to Amnesty International, a human rights group.
According to Gonzalez's son-in-law, Rafael Tudares: the presidential candidate said Tudares was banished by cursed men in Caracas on Tuesday.
And on Thursday, Machado herself was detained when she left a protest against Maduro, according to opposition officials who said her transport was dismantled. He was quickly released.
An uncertain future
The recent arrests have led to a new surge of international criticism.
The United States Embassy in Venezuela has it called the arrest of Gonzalez's son-in-law an act of “intimidation” against the opposition. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that the arrests prevented him from attending Maduro's inauguration on Friday.
However, Maduro's control over state institutions has allowed security forces to act without permission, according to recent report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Medina himself believes that repression in Venezuela could increase if Maduro remains in power for a third term.
“If we don't get freedom, there will be a lot more persecution,” Medina said. “They will try to stop everything they think is against them, including political leaders and the media.”
For now, he said he hopes to continue his work exposing human rights abuses from abroad.
“What I have decided is that, no matter what, I will fight for my country. “
