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After Maduro’s Seizure, Caracas Tightens Control as Rodríguez Entrenches Security Apparatus

Emergency powers are enabling detentions that reinforce the continuity of Venezuela’s repressive apparatus.

Overview

  • U.S. special forces flew Nicolás Maduro to New York, and Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president in Caracas.
  • A government state-of-emergency decree ordered security forces to search for and capture anyone seen as supporting the U.S. operation.
  • Heavily armed units and colectivos set up checkpoints, inspected phones, and patrolled Caracas as counterintelligence officers took to the streets.
  • Press groups reported journalist detentions during the transition, with the union citing at least seven cases and some accounts putting the figure at up to 14.
  • Rodríguez named former SEBIN chief Gustavo Enrique Gonzalez Lopez to lead the DGCIM, a move rights experts say signals continuity with agencies accused by the U.N. of abuses.