Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

[link removed]



update subscription preferences

http:// [link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed]







Dear John,

Attacks against journalists and crackdowns on free expression have contributed to 19 consecutive years of decline in global freedom, according to Freedom House research

[link removed]

. Such assaults often serve as a warning sign for even more severe repression to come.

After Nicolás Maduro engineered a fraudulent presidential election in July 2024 in an effort to cement his authoritarian rule in Venezuela, journalists followed the developing story as thousands of protesters took to the streets to demand an honest vote count. The regime, fearing for its survival, violently clamped down, killing at least two dozen people and arbitrarily arresting hundreds of others.

Among those arbitrarily detained was a journalist who had covered several local polling stations. He was transferred from his home region to a detention center in Caracas, leaving him isolated in an extraordinarily difficult situation. His family was unable to travel to the capital, and they had no funds to hire a lawyer. That’s when our team at Freedom House learned of his case and stepped in. We provided assistance so that his family could visit Caracas and secure a defense attorney. Through our well-tested network of partners, we backed an advocacy campaign demanding his release. Weeks later, he was set free.

This case is one of more than 3,000 in at least 80 countries that Freedom House has taken up over the past 19 years, providing comprehensive support to journalists who have been detained or are otherwise under threat. The services we have offered range from payment of legal fees to coverage of medical expenses.

We remain committed to supporting journalists and other democracy defenders worldwide, but recent US government cuts to foreign aid funding have severely limited our ability to continue this important work. We urgently need your participation to reach our goal. Even a $25 donation can make a difference.

Please click here to pledge your support

[link removed]

, or contact our Director of Development Meto Koloski at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

.

Your partnership will allow us to sustain our efforts on behalf of journalists who light the torch and lead the way by exposing repression around the world.

Donate

[link removed]

With deep gratitude,

Alejandra Argueta

Deputy Director,

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Programs

Freedom House is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, [EIN: 13-1656647]. Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Many supporters maximize their impact through corporate matching gifts, gifts of stock. In honor of DAF Day yesterday, many supporters are also considering making a gift through their donor-advised funds. You can explore even more ways to give here

[link removed]

.



Copyright © 2025 Freedom House

All rights reserved.



Freedom House

1850 M Street NW 11th Floor

Washington, DC 20036

If you have any questions or wish to update your information, please contact [email protected]

Stay up to date with Freedom House’s latest news and events by signing up for our newsletter

[link removed]

.



update subscription preferences

[link removed]