CARACAS — Venezuelan authorities have detained two elderly men in the state of Mérida after they celebrated the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, earlier this month, local police reports show.
The Autonomous Institute of the Bolivarian State Police of Mérida (IAPEBM) responded to a call on January 5 reporting that two men were disturbing the peace in the Los Cedros neighborhood of Guaraque municipality, shouting slogans against the government and celebrating what they described as the “kidnapping” of Maduro and his wife following a U.S. military operation in Caracas on January 3.
According to the official report, the two men — aged 64 and 65 — were also accused of offending neighbors identified as supporters of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and inciting violence. Responding officers found evidence that firearms had been discharged in the area, prompting their deployment to the scene.
During the police inspection of the men’s home, officers discovered a Smith & Wesson revolver with six cartridges — five of them fired — hidden under clothing on the property’s exterior. A second firearm, a shotgun with no visible brand, was also seized. Both individuals were taken into custody and transported to the Guaraque Police Station. They remain detained pending further legal action by the Public Ministry.
These arrests appear to be the first publicly acknowledged detentions of Venezuelan civilians accused of publicly celebrating Maduro’s removal from power. Opposition figures and human rights observers have criticized similar measures in other parts of the country, saying they reflect a broader climate of repression under a state of emergency decree issued by the Venezuelan government following the events of January 3.
The decree, officially dubbed a “state of external commotion,” authorizes security forces to detain anyone perceived to be supporting or promoting the U.S. military action against Venezuela, raising concern among civil liberties groups about freedom of expression and political dissent in the country.
The broader context of increased detentions aligns with reports that Venezuelan security forces and allied groups have been intensifying their efforts to suppress dissent and punish public displays of opposition since the capture of Maduro. Human rights organizations have documented other detentions and confrontations tied to political expression in recent days.
The situation in Venezuela remains tense, with continued debate both domestically and internationally about the legality and political impact of recent actions by Venezuelan authorities in the aftermath of the U.S. military operation.