On August 5, more than 100 civil society organizations and human rights defenders issued a joint statement calling for an end to the use of digital tools for the surveillance and persecution of political dissent in Venezuela. In the wake of the presidential elections of July 28, the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro has deployed police, military, and paramilitary groups to repress peaceful demonstrations in the country. The government has also intensified its digital surveillance and censorship measures, using tools such as the messaging app VenApp to report on dissenting activities, video surveillance to monitor protests, and patrolling drones to provoke widespread fear. As of August 5, over 2000 people had been arrested in Venezuela.

Read the joint statement here.