page_title: Crisis in Venezuela
section_title: Detentions
hierarchical_section_title: Crisis in Venezuela / Social / Detentions
caption_attribution_description: English: &#160;&#160; Detentions by year &#160;&#160; Total detentions Arbitrary detentions in Venezuela between 2014 and 2019 according to Foro Penal. Español: &#160;&#160; Detenciones por año &#160;&#160; Detenciones en total Detenciones arbitrarias en Venezuela entre 2014 y 2019 según Foro Penal.
context_page_description: The Venezuelan Crisis is an ongoing socioeconomic and political crisis that began in Venezuela on June 2, 2010 during the presidency of Hugo Chávez and continues into the presidency of Nicolás Maduro. It is marked by hyperinflation, escalating starvation, disease, crime and mortality rates, resulting in massive emigration from the country. According to economists interviewed by The New York Times, the situation is the worst economic crisis in Venezuela's history and the worst facing a country in peace time since the mid-20th century and is more severe than that of the United States during the Great Depression, of the 1985–1994 Brazilian economic crisis, or of the 2008–2009 hyperinflation in Zimbabwe. Other American writers have also compared aspects of the crisis such as unemployment and GDP contraction to Bosnia and Herzegovina after the 1992–1995 Bosnian War as well as Russia, Cuba and Albania following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989.
  On 2 June 2010, Chávez declared an "economic war" due to increasing shortages in Venezuela.
context_section_description: Repression and politically motivated dententions have risen to record levels in 2019. Foro Penal states that Venezuela has at least 900 political prisoners as of April 2019, with more arrests of people being held longer in poor conditions and on dubious charges.  The human rights organization has documented more than 50 instances that include "sexual abuse, strangulation using plastic bags and the use of razor blades to cut detainees' feet".  In the first three months of 2019, Foro Penal says 1,712 people were arrested and about two-thirds of those were held for more than 48 hours, the threshold used to classify a detainee as a political prisoner. Maduro calls those arrested members of "terrorist groups" and says his government will not hesitate to send them to prison. Juan Requesens and Roberto Marrero are examples of "purely political" arrests, according to their attorney. Increasingly high numbers of the detainees, though are working-class people, who have been driven to protest by the crisis.
caption: Arbitrary detentions in Venezuela between 2014 and 2019 according to Foro Penal. Arrests by year in blue and total arrests in red.
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