The warning was made on the same day that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) denounced the existence of clandestine detention centers in Venezuela.
Venezuelan authorities warned on Wednesday that they will arrest and apply the full weight of the law against citizens who express opinions against the country’s regime or celebrate the US capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
The warning was made by the well-known police chief and former governor of the Venezuelan state of Táchira, Freddy Bernal, in a video released on local social media, on the same day that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) dstated that in Venezuela they continue to operate “clandestine detention centers”.
“We will not, under any circumstances, allow threats, stupid jokes, celebrating the capture of the President. I urge you to read the laws, which are very clear. In one of them are the articles of the Incitement to Hatred Law, which is very clear (…) and in another is the Simón Bolívar law, which makes clear the arguments of betrayal of the country”, he states in the video.
Accompanied by several people, Freddy Bernal, emphasizes that “to all those who express opinions against the republic, the President, its institutions and celebrate the aggression of an empire against the homeland” will be applied “the full weight of the Constitution”.
It further explains that the State’s intelligence services have orders to “capture some individuals who are in this situation and prosecute them in accordance with current legislation.”
“In the 916,050 kilometers of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, we will assert our respect with the strength of the Constitution”, he reiterated.
On the other hand, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) denounced this Wednesday the existence of active detention centers in Venezuela “clandestine”.
The complaint was made by the IACHR’s special rapporteur for Venezuela, Glória Monique de Mees, during a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS).
“The persistence of these installations highlights the structural nature of the violations and the absence of effective institutional supervision”, highlighted the rapporteur, quoted by the NTN24 television channel.
The IACHR states that until January 19, 2026, the Venezuela freed 143 political prisonersbut insists that transparent, updated and verifiable information on the conditions of releases is necessary.
According to the NGO Foro Penal (FP), Venezuela had, on January 19, 777 people arrested for political reasons678 men and 99 women, 604 civilians and 173 military personnel, including 2 teenagers.
The FP stated in a publication on the social network X that 70 foreigners, Venezuelans with dual nationality, were detained.
In November 2025, the FP announced that it had data on 5 Portuguese descendants (Venezuelans who also have Portuguese nationality) detained for political reasons, however sources from the local Portuguese community report that there are at least eight.
