No joke: Political satire in Venezuela a risky business

CARACAS, April 23 ------ A 72-year-old grandmother who named a popular snack after the "widow" of President Nicolas Maduro -- still very much alive -- has become the latest casualty of a Venezuelan hate speech law denounced by rights defenders.

Olga Mata was arrested last week after posting a comedic video on TikTok in which she posed as a food vendor advertising a type of arepa, a maize snack, named after Maduro's wife Cilia Flores. The arepa in question is usually called a "widow" in Venezuela for not having any filling. When a voice off camera points out that Flores is not yet a widow, Mata responds: "Right... but it is what we all want." Another arepa featured in the clip was named after attorney general Tarek William Saab, who ordered Mata's arrest for "promoting hate". Her son, Florencio Gil, was detained for "instigating the assassination of public personalities."

According to rights group Espacio Publico (Public Space), Venezuela's so-called "Law against Hate" was used to charge people in 17 criminal cases last year. The law was passed in 2017 by a loyalist "Constitutional Assembly" created by Maduro and which replaced the then opposition-controlled National Assembly. It provides for sentences of up to 20 years in jail for actions deemed "incitement of hatred."

After a public outcry, Saab on Monday announced Mata had been charged and released under order to report to court every 30 days. She was also made to release a new video apologizing for the first one. Her son was cleared of all charges. "It is a way to make us feel like prisoners, even if we are not in a cell," Mata said after her release.

For Espacio Publico director Carlos Correa, the "Law against Hate" had a vague definition of what constitutes hate speech, and disproportionate penalties. "It causes people to refrain not only joking, but also from talking about matters of public interest such as denouncing corruption," Correa told AFP. "The law is not there to determine whether a joke is in good or bad taste," he added. Efforts to control free speech in Venezuela are nothing new.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com