More Than 100 Venezuelan Media and Civil Society Groups Demand Free-Expression Guarantees

Thirty-eight media outlets and 63 civil society organizations have joined forces to demand the full restoration of freedom of expression in Venezuela. Their Manifesto for Freedom of Expression in Venezuela calls for structural changes after more than 27 years of complaints about censorship, persecution and institutional restrictions.

The 101 signatories want the country’s legal framework changed to prevent the criminalization of dissent. They also call for a restructuring of the National Telecommunications Commission, known as Conatel, the immediate removal of digital blocks imposed on news websites and the full release of citizens jailed for expressing their opinions.

“We will work until freedom of expression is fully achieved in Venezuela, because recovering freedom of expression is a fundamental step toward rebuilding our democracy,” the joint manifesto says.

The demands come as preparations continue for the resumption of political dialogue between government representatives and an opposition delegation led by Dinorah Figuera, scheduled for the second half of September. The process has received backing from the U.S. administration as part of an effort to organize a political transition following the events in January involving the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

The coalition’s appeal follows repeated warnings from international observers. The 2025 Chapultepec Index of Freedom of Expression and Press, published by the Inter American Press Association, ranked Venezuela last among 23 countries assessed in the Americas. It placed the country in the “no freedom of expression” category, with a score of 7.02 out of 100, after a post-election period marked by more than 2,000 arrests. Espacio Público, a nongovernmental organization, recorded 75 direct violations of freedom of expression during the first quarter of 2026.

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We will work until freedom of expression is fully achieved in Venezuela, because recovering freedom of expression is a fundamental step toward rebuilding our democracy.