In the aftermath of the U.S. military operation in Caracas that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelans abroad openly celebrated the fall of a dictator who had cast a shadow over their country for more than a decade. But inside Venezuela, the response was starkly different. Public celebration was swiftly outlawed, movement restricted, and fear reasserted. The Free Press spoke with one Venezuelan, who requested anonymity due to the risk of reprisal, about what life looks like in the country right now—and what, despite it all, he hopes will come next. —Tanya Lukyanova
Last Saturday, in the early hours, I woke up to the sound of unseen helicopters and large explosions. It was alarming but not surprising. We were expecting something like this to happen eventually. We just didn’t know when it would come.
When Venezuelans got the news about the operation, many of us were excited about the prospect of a Venezuela without Nicolás Maduro. But we are a people who have been through many cycles of political unrest, and the first instinct for many is to prepare for the worst.
On January 3, most supermarkets were already closed. A majority of people were still enjoying the Christmas break, which in a normal year runs until the second week of January. The few stores that were open were packed with people panic-buying essentials, afraid of what might come next.
As it became clear that Maduro was in U.S. custody, some did attempt to celebrate. But as soon as the first few started going out, the authorities cracked down on them using powers given by the state of emergency that was declared on January 3.
