In Venezuela, reports of cautious – and uncertain – signs of openings in press freedoms

Author: Devin Windelspect, MSc

February 20, 2026

HRRC welcomes signs that the Rodríguez government in Venezuela is opening space for press freedom and freedom of expression in the country, but stresses that such efforts remain incremental and fall far short of granting Venezuelans full freedom of expression. We call on the Venezuelan regime to release any remaining jailed Venezuelan journalists and drop politicized charges against journalists, including La Patilla journalist Rory Branker; allow for the free broadcasting of political opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia; and to halt all political and economic efforts to silence independent journalism in the country. 

People scour the rubble of a building in Catia La Mar, hunting for their personal belongings, the day after US strikes on Venezuela, on 4 January 2026. [Image credit: Gaby Oraa/Reuters]

In Venezuela – a country considered one of the most repressive media environments in the world – signs have emerged of small, incremental steps toward greater press freedom and freedom of expression, even as journalists warn that threats to journalists continue and freedom of speech is by no means guaranteed. 

According to a report by the Miami Herald, Venezuelan state-run media outlets, including Venevision and Televen, have begun airing segments that open spaces for criticism of the current Venezuelan government, currently run by acting president Delcy Rodríguez after the U.S.’ abduction of President Nícolas Maduro in January, in violation of international law. Among other instances reported, Venevision has aired comments by exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado, covered complaints by political prisoners, and broadcast opposition protests on air. Televen, meanwhile, published an editorial that appeared to support the right of students to stage a protest, the Herald reports. 

These actions point to small and incremental openings for freedom of expression and press freedom in the country, which has been tightly controlled under President Maduro since at least 2013, and especially since rigged elections in 2024 saw Maduro declare victory over Machado amid accusations of electoral fraud, voter manipulation, and state repression. Between 2013 and 2025, at least 60 newspapers went out of circulation, according to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, while 200 radio stations went off the air as the government repealed their licenses to broadcast in the country. As a result, many Venezuelan journalists have gone into exile to continue independent reporting. 

Rodríguez’s ascension to the role of acting president in January 2026 resulted in an immediate crackdown on journalism. 14 journalists, mostly from international media outlets, were detained on the day of Rodríguez’s inauguration as interim president, , and journalists reported having their phones and social media searched at checkpoints by pro-regime militias for anti-Maduro or pro-U.S. messages (the journalists detained were later released without charges). 

However, Rodríguez appeared to change tactics on January 14, when  some imprisoned journalists – mostly jailed for reporting on the 2024 elections – were freed as part of a larger release of political detainees. Nevertheless, at least one journalist, Rory Branker, continues to face prosecution on charges including “financing terrorism” and “treason,” and is subject to restrictions including a prohibition on leaving the country. 

While some Venezuelan journalists see the broadcasts as a small step toward an opening in press freedom, others remain cautious, the Herald reports. Journalists told the Herald that they still fear censorship, and those within the country say they continue to self-censor out of fear of repression. 

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Glossary 

• Abduction – taking a person by force against their will. 

• Accusation – a claim of wrongdoing. 

• Ascension – to reach a high political or social place. 

• Broadcasting – airing a segment on T.V., radio, or online. 

• Censorship – efforts by a government to restrict what information or opinions can be published or said. 

• Change tracks – change direction in a pattern of actions. 

• Circulation – publication. 

• Crackdown – a quick, often violent instance of government repression. 

• Detained/Detainee – to be held in prison for a set duration, though not charged with a crime. 

• Editorial – a journalistic piece that represents the opinions or stance of the paper as a whole. 

• Electoral fraud – efforts to illegally change votes to create a desired outcome. 

• Exile – being forced from a home country under threat of intimidation, repression or violence. 

• Freedom of expression/Freedom of speech – the right of a person to speak their political, religious, or other beliefs freely and peacefully without fear of repression or violence. 

• Inauguration – an event that signals a person taking a political position in government. 

• Incremental – small in scale or intensity. 

• Interim – temporary, not permanent. 

• International law – agreed upon laws governing actions by governments signed or agreed to by countries in the international system, and often upheld by the United Nations. 

• License – a document that gives the legal right to operate in a country. 

• Politicized – charges of a crime that are made for the political purpose of jailing, silencing, or intimidating a critic of the government. 

• Press freedom – the right for journalists to report freely, independently, and without fear of censorship, repression, or violence. 

• Prosecution – the process of being charged with a crime. 

• Regime – the political party or group of people who control an authoritarian government. 

• Repression – efforts by the government to curb political and civil rights in a country. 

• Rigged – illegally influenced to produce a desired outcome.

• Self-censorship – efforts by a person to restrict what they say or publish out of fear of violence, imprisonment, or repression. 

• Treason – intentionally seeking to betray the country you are a citizen of, often for the benefit of another country. 

• Violation – breaking the law. 

• Voter manipulation – efforts to prevent all voters from freely, fairly, and easily casting a ballot for their chosen candidate, and/or to influence votes for a candidate through bribes, coercion, or intimidation.