infospace news January 10, 202509:50 Carlos Correa, head of the Espacio Público organization, defender of media freedom, was kidnapped in Venezuela

According to witnesses, on the evening of January 7, armed men in masks forced him into a brown car without license plates. Since then, the man's fate has remained unknown, and the authorities have still not responded to numerous requests from Espacio Público, his family, and dozens of national and international organizations.

The head of the non-governmental organization that defends media freedom and human rights, Espacio Público,Carlos Correa, was kidnapped in Venezuela on January 7. This was reported by the international organization «Reporters Without Borders» (RSF).

Carlos Correa was last seen around 5:00 p.m. in downtown Caracas. According to witnesses, armed men in masks forced him into a brown car without license plates. Since then, the man's fate has remained unknown, and authorities have still not responded to numerous requests from Espacio Público, his family, and dozens of national and international organizations.

In an interview on the evening of January 8, Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accused Correa of ​​using his organization to allegedly launder money and participate in a conspiracy against Venezuela.

RSF believes that the disappearance of Carlos Correa bears all the hallmarks of methods often used by Venezuelan state security agencies to arbitrarily arrest critics of the Maduro government. This comes amid an intensification of repression before Maduro is to be sworn in for a new presidential term on January 10.

«We express our deep concern about the fate of Carlos Correa and call on the Venezuelan government to end its silence, shed light on his situation and guarantee his safety. Given his state of health, about which his relatives have expressed deep concern, we insist on the urgent need to ensure that he has access to basic medical care and to preserve his physical and psychological integrity. He must be released immediately,” said Artur Romeu, director of RSF’s Latin America bureau. “As an activist with over 20 years of experience defending freedom of expression, Correa has played a key role in documenting attacks on civil liberties and press freedom in Venezuela. His disappearance highlights the urgent need for greater international support to prevent further deterioration of press freedom and human rights in Venezuela.”