Venezuela Accused of Spying Amidst Disaster Response

Venezuelan police and intelligence agents aggressively confronted journalists outside a Caracas morgue, with one plainclothes officer identifying himself as part of the state intelligence agency, SEBIN. He ordered other officers to call military counterintelligence to detain and interrogate the reporters, creating a tense situation that was eventually defused.

This incident occurred a week after a major disaster struck Venezuela, leaving its largest cities in ruins and creating an emerging humanitarian crisis. While international press access is rare in the authoritarian country, reporters had initially moved freely until the encounter with authorities, which raised suspicions about the government's intentions.

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Call your embassy right now.

The government faces accusations of hindering the disaster response and impeding the press's ability to cover the unfolding tragedy. Locals have expressed anger and frustration over a slow and uncoordinated official response, with some authorities reportedly threatening individuals searching for loved ones if they did not adhere to unspecified "protocols."

One resident, Marcos Sousa, described officers threatening to jail people searching the wreckage of an apartment complex. Another woman conveyed a plea for heavy machinery, indicating that communities were left to fend for themselves without government assistance. The government's focus on alleged spying, rather than on rescue and humanitarian aid, has drawn criticism amid the devastation.

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I have seen officers in structures looking [for] what's left [in] apartments. They have showed up here, police forces threatening that they want to put us in jail because we don't follow the protocols for rescue.