Maduro’s gone: Why are Venezuelans still afraid of the government?

Some 2,000 miles (3,200km) present abstracted Venezuelans from Nicolas Maduro, their abducted president, who United States peculiar forces person flown to New York.

But Mario, a Caracas resident, is disquieted astir celebrating publically against the ouster of a person who oversaw a authorities apparatus that to galore Venezuelans became synonymous with repression.

Maduro’s authorities remains mostly intact aft his Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn successful – with US President Donald Trump’s blessing – arsenic acting president connected Monday. Her way grounds wrong the Maduro constitution has galore Venezuelans connected edge; deleting texts, avoiding talking astir authorities successful public, and self-censoring connected societal media, according to radical interviewed by Al Jazeera.

Since the US bombing, Venezuelan constabulary person announced the apprehension of astatine slightest 4 radical for celebrating Maduro’s seizure oregon mocking the erstwhile leader.

“[The police] apprehended 2 citizens successful Guaraque who were celebrating the kidnapping of President Maduro,” read 1 connection from constabulary successful the occidental metropolis of Merida; “Two arrested for incitement to hatred and treason,” read different from authorities successful the authorities of Carabobo.

The crackdown comes aft the authorities connected Saturday decreed a authorities of emergency, ordering information forces to “immediately undertake the hunt and seizure … of immoderate idiosyncratic progressive successful promoting oregon supporting the equipped onslaught by the United States of America” and to prosecute them.

Screenshots of the decree person circulated connected societal media, contributing to what immoderate residents accidental is simply a chilling effect.

“The fearfulness is that they volition unjustly imprison you, prosecute you and complaint you with immoderate they privation to complaint you with and nonstop you to prison,” said Mario successful a telephone interrogation from Caracas with Al Jazeera.

He said he’s nary longer taking the main roads to debar information checkpoints and run-ins with government-aligned paramilitary groups called colectivos. He besides doesn’t station thing astir the US attacks connected societal media and said helium deletes immoderate videos that could beryllium perceived arsenic provocation by the government.

Venezuela’s caller interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, speaks to the media astatine the Foreign Office successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected Monday, August 11, 2025. She was vice president astatine the clip [Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo]

‘Not a bully sign’

As vice president, Rodriguez took power of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) successful 2018, during 1 of the astir repressive periods of Maduro’s rule.

“I deliberation she is much pragmatic [than Maduro],” Laura Cristina Dib, Venezuela manager astatine the Washington Office connected Latin America (WOLA) told Al Jazeera, “but that doesn’t mean she’s not portion of the repressive apparatus arsenic well.”

The United Nations has accused SEBIN of torturing dozens of absorption politicians, journalists and activists, including wrong the infamous El Helicoide detention centre successful Caracas.

On Tuesday, Rodriguez appointed erstwhile SEBIN manager Gustavo Enrique Gonzalez Lopez arsenic the caller caput of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), which was besides accused of quality rights abuses by the UN.

“This is not a bully sign,” said Dib, adding that Gonzalez Lopez was 1 of the archetypal Venezuelan officials to beryllium sanctioned during the Obama medication and helium continued the argumentation of torture astatine El Helicoide arsenic SEBIN director.

He besides helped oversee the Liberation of the People (OLP), a years-long cognition which rooted retired dissent utilizing maltreatment and extrajudicial killings, resulting successful the deaths of hundreds and perchance thousands of people, mostly successful mediocre neighbourhoods.

Gonzalez Lopez’s latest appointment, Dib said, “is not a measurement successful the close direction”.

Protesters request the extremity of isolation arsenic a authorities argumentation and the merchandise of what they see governmental prisoners, extracurricular the United Nations bureau successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected Friday, March 28, 2025 [Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo]

‘Shock factor’

Almost a twelvemonth and a fractional connected from the 2024 elections, successful which Maduro crushed protests against his fraudulent election, Carlos Lusverti, an researcher astatine the Center for Human Rights astatine the Andres Bello Catholic University successful Caracas, thinks those crackdowns stay successful Venezuelans’ psyche.

“At that time, determination was a wide question of arrests and repression that I deliberation mostly sensitised the colonisation successful presumption of silencing immoderate look that could beryllium understood arsenic disapproval of the government,” Lusverti told Al Jazeera.

He said the “shock factor” from the caller US bombardment lone adds to the paranoia, and immoderate Venezuelans fearfulness the existent authorities whitethorn revert to its aged tactics.

“It’s terrifying that you tin beryllium arrested conscionable for having a meme [about Maduro] connected your phone,” Viviana, a 31-year-old who sells flowers successful Caracas, told Al Jazeera. “That’s the fearfulness that exists today, and that’s wherefore radical debar saying thing oregon commenting connected things connected the street.”