Journalist sentenced to prison for uncovering corruption scheme in Venezuela

The Venezuelan regime requested the arrest of Roberto Deniz, a journalist exiled in Colombia since 2018, reported Univision on Monday.

Deniz has published several investigations on businessman Alex Saab, Nicolas Maduro’s alleged frontman and money launderer. Since 2017, the Venezuelan dictatorship has attacked and harassed Deniz and his family in Venezuela.

Prosecuting journalists for inciting hatred has become common in Venezuela. It is a way to punish those who oppose the regime, said Deniz.

In retaliation for Saab’s extradition, the regime suspended dialogues with the opposition and revoked the house arrest of six executives of the CITGO oil refinery, who are charged with embezzlement. An accusation the detainees deny.

Five of the executives are U.S. citizens and one of them is a permanent resident of the United States. They have been under house arrest in Venezuela since May.

“Alex Saab, the looter of Venezuela. Justice for his crimes against humanity should be swift and merciless, said U.S. Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar at a speech in the House of Representatives.

Congresswoman Salazar described Saab as another “thug of the Venezuelan regime.”

Saab helped finance some of the worst crimes and heinous abuses committed by the Marudo regime in Venezuela over the past 15 years, Salazar explained.

The Congresswoman also said the six U.S. executives of CITGO were sent back to a cruel political prison “without any reason” and called Maduro’s decision to send them to jail an act of retaliation.

“This is a classic tactic of tyrants. If Maduro thinks he can do a prisoner exchange, he needs to wake up and realize that the United States does not deal with dictators,” she added.

Salazar called for the U.S. to continue its efforts to free Venezuela from Maduro.