Latest Caracas News

Chevron manager jailed in Venezuela amid crackdown on government critics

Mar. 23, 2024 09:08 AM EDT

MIAMI (AP) — A former fighter pilot jailed in Venezuela in February for his ties to a prominent human rights attorney is an employee of U.S. oil firm Chevron, The Associated Press has learned, an arrest that combined with other recent repressive acts by Nicolás Maduro’s government is straining...

Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate María Machado names substitute while she fights ban

Mar. 22, 2024 19:46 PM EDT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition powerhouse María Corina Machado on Friday named a substitute to her presidential bid while she fights a government ban on her running for office. The announcement comes as Machado faces increasing political repression from the...

Venezuela ruling party officially makes Maduro its candidate in the July presidential election

Mar. 16, 2024 18:35 PM EDT

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday became his party’s official nominee for July’s highly anticipated presidential election, which would allow him to stroll into a third consecutive term with no real competition on the horizon. Not unusual...

Collapse of illegal gold mine in Venezuela lays bare feelings of abandonment in rural communities

Feb. 23, 2024 00:05 AM EST

LA PARAGUA, Venezuela (AP) — The collapse of an illegally operated gold mine in a remote area of central Venezuela has exposed the sense of abandonment felt by small or rural communities bypassed by a quasi-economic renaissance seen in the South American country's capital and cities. ...

Russian foreign minister visits Caracas and reaffirms support of Venezuela's Maduro

Feb. 20, 2024 19:25 PM EST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaffirmed Tuesday his government’s support for the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, expressing commitment to strategic cooperation in numerous sectors, including technology, energy and culture, during an...

Venezuela’s government and opposition double down on positions about arrest of human rights attorney

Feb. 19, 2024 17:48 PM EST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government and opposition on Wednesday doubled down on their respective defense and condemnation of the detention of a prominent human rights attorney, evidencing once more their vastly different interpretations of an agreement to work on conditions for a...

Venezuela orders UN human rights office to close, accusing it of anti-government activity

Feb. 15, 2024 19:02 PM EST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government on Thursday ordered the local United Nations office on human rights to suspend operations and gave its staff 72 hours to leave, accusing it of assisting coup plotters and terrorist groups. Foreign Affairs Minister Yván Gil...

Human rights groups in Venezuela demand release of prominent detained attorney and activist

Feb. 14, 2024 18:19 PM EST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Human rights organizations in Venezuela on Wednesday demanded the release of a prominent attorney and activist whose detention last week has heightened concerns over the government's use of repression against real and perceived adversaries. The...

Venezuelan government has arrested a rights activist on vague conspiracy charges

Feb. 11, 2024 23:11 PM EST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The administration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has arrested human rights activist Rocio San Miguel, the government confirmed Sunday. Tarek William Saab, Venezuela’s attorney general, wrote in his social media accounts that San Miguel had been...

Dueling political factions demonstrate in Venezuela's capital as presidential election race heats up

Jan. 23, 2024 20:19 PM EST

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Dueling political factions took to the streets of Venezuela's capital on Tuesday for the first competing rallies of the presidential election year, showcasing their ability to draw people en masse, as voters grapple with political disappointments and uncertainty over the...