Venezuelan Journalist Carmela Longo Charged with Terrorism
She was given alternative measures to imprisonment: she cannot leave the country, must refrain from speaking about her case, and is required to appear in court.
HAVANA TIMES – Venezuelan journalist Carmela Longo has been charged with the crimes of terrorism and incitement to hatred in a virtual hearing held on August 26, less than 24 hours after her arrest.
The National Union of Press Workers, of which she is a delegate member, reported that she was released from custody. However, she is prohibited from leaving the country, must appear regularly before the anti-terrorism control court, and is forbidden from making any statements about her case.
Her arrest took place on Sunday, August 25, after her apartment was raided by officers from the Bolivarian National Police. She was taken into custody along with her 19-year-old son.
The well-known journalist, who specializes in entertainment news and was dismissed from Últimas Noticias on August 20, was forcibly disappeared for four hours until the Press Workers Union was able to confirm that she was being held at the Criminal Investigations Directorate of the Bolivarian National Police in Maripérez, Caracas.
Her son was interrogated at the same facility and was later released.
Five Journalists Accused of Terrorism
With Longo, there are now five journalists who have been accused of terrorism since July 29, the day after the July 28 elections. For the same crime, which carries penalties of up to 30 years in prison in Venezuela, Deysi Peña, a photojournalist for the Carrizal Municipality in the state of Miranda; Paul Leon, a cameraman and journalism student in Trujillo; Yousner Alvarado, a photojournalist in the state of Barinas; and Jose Gregorio Camero, a journalist and political leader in Guarico, are currently imprisoned.
Also imprisoned are Roland Carreño, a well-known former television host and activist for the Vente Venezuela party, and Ana Carolina Guaita, a correspondent for La Patilla in the state of La Guaira.
Before the electoral campaign, Carlos Julio Rojas (Caracas); Luis Lopez (La Guaira); and Gabriel Gonzalez (Caracas) were arrested. The latter two were accused of incitement to hatred after being arrested in July; Rojas was detained in April and was implicated in an alleged assassination attempt against President Nicolas Maduro.
In February 2021, journalist Ramon Centeno was arrested, and since then, he has faced an irregular judicial process.
Press Workers Union Warns of Disintegration of Journalism
Marco Ruiz, the general secretary of Press Workers Union, said on Monday that the country is experiencing a sort of curfew, with which Maduro intends to “dismantle journalism in Venezuela.”
“The arrest of journalist Carmela Longo causes enormous consternation, many questions, and few answers. Those of us who know her are aware of her professionalism, how careful she has been during all this time when reporting, when saying what is happening, and she covers the entertainment beat, which makes the case even more striking. Her arrest is arbitrary and illegal because there was never a judge’s order,” Ruiz said about Longo’s case.
First published in Spanish by El Cucuyo and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.