Venezuela: a dozen people arrested for talking about Covid-19

A dozen people, most of whom are health workers, have been arrested in Venezuela in recent weeks for publicly speaking out about the new coronavirus pandemic, a human rights NGO said Thursday.

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A total of 100 people have been arrested "for political reasons" since March, including ten "who spoke publicly about the pandemic," said Alfredo Romero, director of Foro Penal during a video conference.

According to this Venezuelan NGO, which is very critical of the government of Nicolas Maduro, there are currently 362 "political prisoners" in Venezuela, a term which the Venezuelan authorities reject.

Medical equipment shortages

Among the group of ten people arrested are notably "a 70-year-old man who works in the health sector and who is under house arrest" and "a technician-biologist who mentioned a case (of coronavirus, editor's note) WhatsApp and also found herself under house arrest, ”said Mr. Romero. "A nurse (has been) arrested for broadcasting a video in which he denounced the state of the hospital" where he works, he added.

Venezuela is going through the worst economic and social crisis in its recent history. Its public hospitals are often unsanitary and shortages of drugs and medical supplies are frequent.

In an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Nicolas Maduro decreed a general containment on March 17. And several tons of medical equipment (masks, respirators ...) have arrived in recent weeks in Venezuela from Russia and China, two allies of the socialist leader.

Officially, the country of 30 million people has so far registered 379 cases of Covid-19 and ten deaths linked to the disease. Opponent Juan Guaido disputes these figures and accuses the government of "shamelessly lying" about the pandemic in Venezuela, which shares a border of more than 2,000 km with Brazil, the country most affected by the disease in Latin America.