Venezuela: journalist Rory Branker arrested as vehement repression of the press continues
The persecution of independent journalism in Venezuela is intensifying as La Patilla journalist Rory Branker is the ninth journalist arrested due to his work since July 2024 and is being held in an undisclosed location. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) demands the authorities release Rory Branker along with all other arbitrarily detained journalists, and immediately end the legal persecution of media workers — which systematically entails violations of their basic rights.
On 20 February, Rory Branker, a 43-year-old journalist for the news site La Patilla, was arrested by the National Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin) in Caracas. He was initially taken to the El Helicoide penitentiary centre yet, hours later, his family — who searched for the journalist in several prisons — were unable to locate him, and his whereabouts remain unknown. Sebin agents also raided his residence and confiscated two laptops. The lack of judicial guarantees in the journalists’ arrest and detention — no access to a lawyer, no communication of where he is being held — is an alarming, increasingly common sign that the criminalisation of journalism is steadily rising in Venezuela.
“The arbitrary detention of Rory Branker is yet another example of the systematic policy of repression against the press in Venezuela. We demand his immediate release, the annulment of the arbitrary proceedings against him, and guarantees that journalists will not be held incommunicado. We also call for the immediate release of his colleagues Luis López, Eleángel Navas and José Gregorio Camero, who remain imprisoned and denied their right to a fair trial.
Rory Branker’s arrest is the latest development in ongoing attacks against La Patilla, which has been hit with multiple cyberattacks that aim to take its website offline. The day after Rory Branker's arrest, the site went down for reasons that are still unknown. In 2022, Diosdado Cabello, the first vice-president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), directly threatened the outlet on his TV show by stating, "Now, we’re going after La Patilla." What’s more, Ana Carolina Guaita, another journalist from La Patilla was arrested in August 2024 under similar circumstances to that of Rory Branker. She was released in December of the same year.
Imprisonment and judicial restrictions
La Patilla’s journalists are not alone — the deliberate targeting of reporters has intensified since the presidential elections on 28 July 2024. At least eight were arrested for covering the protests that followed the election results, five were released in December under strict judicial restrictions, and three remain imprisoned: Luis López, Eleángel Navas, and José Gregorio Camero. All of them face baseless charges of "terrorism," "incitement to hatred," and "criminal association," which the government has repeatedly used to silence dissenting voices with sentences of up to 20 years in prison.
