Bogotá, Colombia – Jesús Medina Ezaín had already spent 16 months in a Venezuelan military prison, accused of crimes he said were linked to his work as a photojournalist.

But another prison term seemed imminent, especially after… Contested re-election For Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

As Maduro was about to be sworn in for a third term, Medina (43 years old) made a difficult decision: to flee his home in Venezuela in search of relative safety in Bogotá, the capital of neighboring Colombia.

“Before they could return me to prison, I decided to escape,” Medina said.

Maduro’s government has long faced criticism for… Alleged repression From political rivals. But on Friday Opening ceremony The latest electoral crisis is expected to reach its peak, with observers warning that violence may escalate as Maduro seeks to cling to power.

“The regime will do everything in its power to ensure that Maduro can be reinstated and can continue his administration,” said Juan Papier, deputy Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

“If they see this possibility being challenged in any way, for example by [opposition-led] Demonstrations, they will brutally suppress them.”

A climate of fear

Medina recalls the last months he spent in Venezuela, where he was overwhelmed with fear.

In the run-up to the controversial election, he joined the opposition leader’s campaign Maria Corina Machado As a photographer, documenting her efforts to rally support for the presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.

But this action made him a target again.

Medina was not unknown to the Maduro government: in 2018, he was arrested on charges of money laundering, criminal association and incitement to hatred, all of which he denies.

Instead, he maintains that his arrest was in retaliation for his reporting on human rights violations. He was detained without trial in Ramo Verde military prison until January 2020.

He added, “The Venezuelan regime does not tolerate any comments or information against them.”

“The media is afraid,” Medina added. “Freedom of expression in Venezuela has been completely lost because journalists inside Venezuela are doing everything they can to avoid imprisonment.”

but Presidential elections On July 28, 2024, brought Political repression Worse than any city has ever seen before.

Hours after the polls closed, the National Electoral Council announced that Maduro was the winner, without presenting its usual distribution of the number of votes.

Meanwhile, the opposition published vote receipts that instead indicated Gonzalez won the election with about 70 percent of the vote. like Protests broke out Due to alleged election fraud, a government crackdown ensued.

As state forces swept the streets looking for protesters, arresting opponents from their homes, Medina said he received a report that he would be imprisoned again.

He quickly hid. Medina spent two months holed up in various locations in the capital, Caracas, trying to avoid arrest. He said that the country’s intelligence forces had already knocked on the door of his house in the city.

Feeling trapped, Medina decided to flee on September 15 to Bogotá, where he has remained ever since.

A wave of repression

Up to 2,500 people were ultimately arrested in the post-election protests, according to government statistics.

Another 25 people were killed, according to independent UN investigators Named “Unprecedented levels of violence.”

United Nations fact-finding mission Announce Earlier this month, at least 56 political opposition activists, 10 journalists and one human rights defender were among those detained between August and December.

Also on Tuesday was the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights published A report claims that systematic state repression aims to “prevent the political participation of the opposition” and “spread terror among citizens.”

But in the run-up to the president’s inauguration on Friday, more than 1,500 prisoners were arrested in the post-election crackdown. They were releasedCritics say it may be an attempt to reduce scrutiny of the government’s human rights record.

Alfredo Romero, director of Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights monitoring organization, explained that “the presence of a number of innocent young people with their relatives, especially their mothers, at the gates of prisons” reflects poorly on the Maduro administration.

Human rights groups have also questioned the accuracy of government figures.

At least 1,749 prisoners remained in detention as of the first week of January, and more alleged dissidents have been arrested since then, Romero said.

He added: “People may be released from prisons, but that does not mean that new people will not be imprisoned.”

Opening backlash

Despite widespread concerns about repression, demonstrations are expected on the day of Maduro’s third inauguration.

Gonzalez, the opposition presidential candidate, also pledged to return to Venezuela from his presidency Exile abroad He will be sworn in on Friday. It is unclear how or whether he will fulfill this pledge.

In a video message posted on social media on Sunday, Machado, who has been in hiding in Venezuela for months, called on Venezuelans to march in support of the transition of power this week.

Machado said: “Maduro will not leave on his own. We must make him leave with the strength of a people who never give up.” It is time to stand firm and make them understand that this is as far as they can go. That this is over.”

In return, Maduro’s government beefed up security measures and deployed more than 1,200 military personnel to cities across the country to “ensure peace” on Inauguration Day.

The government has also arrested more than a dozen human rights defenders, political activists, and relatives of opposition figures in recent days, according to Amnesty International, a human rights organization.

The arrests allegedly include Gonzalez’s brother-in-law, Rafael Todares: presidential candidate He said It was Todares She was kidnapped by masked men In Caracas on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Machado herself was arrested while leaving an anti-Maduro protest, according to opposition officials who said her transport came under fire. She was quickly released.

Uncertain future

The recent arrests sparked a new wave of international condemnation.

The US Embassy in Venezuela has Named The arrest of Gonzalez’s brother-in-law is considered an act of “intimidation” against the opposition. Colombian President Gustavo Petro He said The arrests prevented him from attending Maduro’s inauguration ceremony on Friday.

However, Maduro’s control over state institutions has allowed security forces to act with impunity, according to recent reports. a report From the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Medina himself believes that repression in Venezuela may escalate if Maduro remains in power for a third term.

“If we do not achieve freedom, there will be more persecution,” Medina said. He added: “They will try to put an end to everything they consider to be opposition, including political leaders and the media.”

He added that he currently hopes to continue his work to expose human rights violations from abroad.

“What I decided is that I will fight for my country no matter what.”