The Government of Venezuela confirms the arrest of the journalist critical of Maduro Roland Carreño

The Venezuelan government confirmed late on Tuesday that journalist Roland Carreño, who had not been heard from for 24 hours and who acts as coordinator of Voluntad Popular (VP), the opposition party Leopoldo López, was arrested.

The Minister of Communications, Freddy Ñáñez, explained on his Twitter account that Carreño "was caught

and has confessed his participation in crimes against the constitutional order to alter the peace of the republic."

Nañez did not provide, however, more details about where he was detained, what police force did it, nor what he was doing to alter said "peace of the republic."

Since he disappeared, several voices denounced that the whereabouts of the journalist, as well as that of two other people, were unknown, which is why different institutions have described his arrest as a "disappearance."

The interim government headed by the opposition Juan Guaidó assures through a statement that Carreño was "approached by black vans without identification" along with his neighbor Yeferson Aguada and Elías Rodríguez, political leader of the VP. In addition, the same political formation denounced that more of 20 officials from a body that they did not identify searched Carreño's residence.

The Chavista minister Ñáñez, who did not mention Aguada or Rodríguez, considered that these accusations are part of a “discrediting campaign against the rule of law in Venezuela regarding the detention” of Carreño, without referring to the 24 hours that the lawyers and relatives have not heard from the prisoner.

“In Venezuela, guarantees, due process and the right to defense are respected, without exception.

In the next few hours the Public Ministry will delve into relevant information on this case ”, he concluded.

Conspiracy

Later, the attorney general, Tarek William Saab, pointed out that, "in a preliminary manner," the investigations indicate that Carreño allegedly handed over "weapons of war and cash to certain subjects to promote violent actions in the national territory."

Like Ñáñez, he stated that he was arrested "in flagrante delicto for his participation in conspiracy plans against democratic peace" and appointed a prosecutor to "carry out the corresponding investigations."

The lawyer Joel García, who defends many detainees whom various NGOs consider political prisoners, wondered on Twitter how it is possible that Carreño has spent so many hours "disappeared", has not been allowed to "communicate with his relatives or lawyers" and however Ñáñez denounces that there is a campaign of discredit.

That is why he affirmed that, "with all certainty, the same pattern of action will be repeated" as in other cases: "Sowing evidence, imputing crimes of terrorism, treason and association, with the same prosecutors and before the same judges."