Venezuela accuses four reporters of being terrorists.

Four journalists were detained during the post-election turmoil in Venezuela, and the government has accused them of “terrorism,” according to a local press union on Wednesday.

Hours after President Nicolas Maduro was named the election’s victor on July 28, protests broke out in Venezuela.

The Venezuelan Media Workers Union sent a statement on social media stating, “We denounce the illegal and arbitrary use of anti-terrorism laws in Venezuela, especially against journalists and photojournalists detained during the post-election protests in the country.”

Photojournalists Yousner Alvarado and Deisy Pena, together with cameraman Paul Leon and reporter Jose Gregorio Carnero, have been detained in jails around the nation since the uprising began, according to the union.

It further stated that the journalists’ access to their attorneys has been refused.

In Venezuela, the maximum penalty for the crime of terrorism is 30 years in jail.

Human rights groups claim that throughout the protests, at least 24 people lost their lives and over 2,200 were taken into custody, as reported by Maduro.

Roland Carreno, a well-known opposition politician and former journalist who was incarcerated from 2020 to 2023 after being charged with “terrorism,” was among those detained, according to his Popular Will party.

In addition, opposition leaders Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and Maria Corina Machado are being looked into by the government for possible rebellion after they requested military assistance in the wake of Maduro’s contentious reelection.