STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Human rights groups and opponents of the autocratic ruler of Venezuela say arrests and detentions are on the rise. Lawmakers there are debating proposals that would shut down civic groups and block social media sites. It's a crackdown on dissent that has intensified since last month's presidential election. President Nicolas Maduro says he won, while opponents say they can prove they overwhelmingly beat him. NPR's Carrie Kahn has been following all this from her base in Rio de Janeiro. Hey there, Carrie.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Good morning.
INSKEEP: Who's getting rounded up?
KAHN: Well, Maduro has repeatedly said that he's arresting what he calls terrorists and puts the number of detentions at more than 2,000. Human rights groups say he inflates the number to scare people. They say it's around 1,300. It's still a high number. Now Maduro is encouraging people to use an app to turn in anti-government sympathizers, particularly those who continue to question that he won that election.
INSKEEP: Using a reporting app - that is interesting. I know that the opposition would not describe themselves as terrorists, but that's the label that's being put on them. What else is Maduro saying?
KAHN: Well, his electoral council that was packed with loyalists said he took 52% of the vote, and they gave his leading opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez, 42%. The electoral council said they were hacked election night and could not make that count public. The opposition - using thousands of volunteers around the country, Steve - collected and published more than 80% of the individual polling place voting tallies. It was quite a feat. And they say it proves - and they have the evidence of that - that Gonzalez won with double the votes over Maduro.
INSKEEP: Wow.
KAHN: Maduro says the dispute is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, which is also controlled by his appointees. There were two new developments yesterday - I just want to add - a U.N. panel of experts who observed the election said the contest did not, quote, "meet the basic measures of transparency and integrity essential to holding credible elections."
And in a blow to a push for a regional resolution to this whole conflict, one of the three leftist allies, who many had hoped could convince Maduro to release those voter tallies, pulled out yesterday. Mexico's president announced he won't join his counterparts from Brazil and Colombia in talks. And instead, he'll wait for Venezuela's court to resolve the conflict.
INSKEEP: OK, so those are the facts as we know them as this crackdown goes on. How is the crackdown affecting the opposition or free speech?
KAHN: Maduro has already shut off X for 10 days. Yesterday, lawmakers discussed more measures to curtail social media platforms and nongovernmental groups, especially ones with foreign funding. Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly and a close Maduro ally, said social media is poisoning Venezuelans with hate and fueling fascism.
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JORGE RODRIGUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
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KAHN: They - he said, "these are the worst threats to humanity. And we are obligated to stop them, and we will." He also called that U.N. report that I referenced garbage and said Venezuela is not afraid of international pressure, that they have, quote, "black belts" in dealing with international pressure.
Human rights groups say the ban will stifle the opposition. Opponents say WhatsApp, Facebook and X are the only way they get news inside and outside of Venezuela. And the opposition has called for new protests at home and abroad for Saturday.
INSKEEP: NPR's Carrie Kahn, thanks.
KAHN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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