Interview with Gabriela Mesones Rojo

On January 3, 2026, the U.S. hit targets in Caracas and other Venezuelan cities, then claimed it had captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during the operation. Early reports say both were flown to the U.S., where officials say they’ll face “narco-terrorism” and drug-trafficking charges. What we still don’t have, at least from the initial coverage, is a clear picture of how much was destroyed or how many civilians were killed.

And this is exactly the kind of moment where everyone suddenly becomes an expert. I didn’t want to do that. So I called Gabriela Mesones Rojo (Instagram), a Venezuelan journalist in Caracas who focuses on human rights and state persecution, and yes, OG readers will remember Gaby, she used to write for this newsletter. I asked her to tell me what it actually feels like on the ground right now: relief for some, fear for many, and a whole lot of uncertainty about what comes next, including the risk of violence, splintering, and an oil “transition” shaped from the outside.

Q: How are people inside Venezuela reacting now?
A: "It's very contradictory. Outside the country, especially in cities with large Venezuelan diasporas like New York, Madrid, and Santiago de Chile, people are celebrating Maduro's arrest. For many, it feels like long-awaited justice. Inside Venezuela, it's different. People are managing uncertainty and survival. The streets are very quiet. That doesn't mean disapproval. It means people are trying to stay alive. Most stores are closed. Only a few supermarkets and gas stations are open. People are lining up to buy food and medicine, worried about shortages. We don't even have a confirmed death toll. Transparency has never been this government's strength. So it's hard to celebrate when we don't yet know the human cost."

Q: What are the biggest mistakes people make when talking about Venezuela right now?
A: "The biggest mistake is seeing this as a left versus right issue. Venezuela's political history is extremely complex, especially over the last 20 years under an authoritarian system. The last year has been particularly cruel. After Maduro stole the election, repression intensified. Forced disappearances have become normal. Many journalists and activists fled the country. Those of us who stayed had to go into hiding. This situation can feel contradictory because Maduro is not a beloved political actor. You can see that clearly in the votes. When Chávez was alive, there was strong polarization. Today, I don't think Venezuela is polarized. A large majority agrees that Maduro should leave power. But Maduro leaving doesn't mean the dictatorship ends. And it doesn't mean a democratic transition automatically begins. Transitions to democracy don't depend on one person. They are social, economic, and political processes that require care and nuance. Otherwise, they risk producing more violence. And above all, we need to stop normalizing Venezuelan suffering. That normalization has become extremely common."

Q: María Corina Machado just won the Nobel Peace Prize, but Trump says that she doesn't have the support or respect to lead the country. Are Venezuelans rooting for her?
A: "María Corina Machado is a controversial figure, who has been active in Venezuelan politics for more than 20 years. She is a right-wing leader, and at different points, particularly around 2018, she openly supported the idea of U.S. intervention in Venezuela. At the time, that stance did not receive much support or recognition, and it is important to remember that Venezuela in 2018 was very different from Venezuela today.

Despite her ideological positions, which many people may or may not agree with, María Corina Machado eventually shifted her political focus toward clearly democratic strategies. Personally, I have never been a supporter of her. However, her role in the 2024 elections was undeniably significant. She led the strategy that made it possible to prove that Nicolás Maduro had stolen the 2024 election. This was a turning point. For years, the opposition had spoken about electoral fraud and irregularities, but this was the first time they were able to back those claims with concrete evidence. Thousands of voting tallies were collected, verified, and presented. This effort was not carried out by María Corina Machado alone. It relied on a broad strategy and an enormous level of social organization across the country.

On election day, it was genuinely striking to see how many people were involved. Community groups were organized to educate themselves about their electoral rights and to develop local strategies to access voting tallies. These tallies are technically public, but in previous elections they were not accessed or handled in this way. What happened in 2024 marked a real democratic victory grounded in community organizing and civic participation.

This is why I think it is important to look at María Corina Machado beyond ideology. She herself was not allowed to run in the election because she was politically barred. Even so, she won the opposition primary with more than 90 percent of the vote. That level of support matters. Regardless of whether one agrees with her economic or political positions, she was clearly chosen by a large segment of the Venezuelan population. Since she could not run, she backed Edmundo González Urrutia as the candidate. He went on to win the election by a landslide. This outcome was demonstrated through the same voting tallies. Some have claimed the tallies were falsified, but they have been reviewed and verified by multiple independent actors, including international and Venezuelan media outlets, civil society organizations, and institutions such as the Carter Center. The tallies were checked one by one, and their authenticity was confirmed. The conclusion was clear. Maduro lost the election by a wide margin. Is María Corina Machado popular in Venezuela? Yes. Many Venezuelans support her. That support does not necessarily mean they agree with her ideology. It means they trust her approach to politics and the way she has conducted herself in this process."

[Sham's add-on: Shortly after her Nobel win in October, Machado also voiced support for Israel in a phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during Israel's ongoing genocidal war in Gaza.]

Q: If not Machado, who should lead?
A: "I'm not the best person to list opposition leaders. But the reality is that repression has made leadership almost impossible. Political figures like Leopoldo López were imprisoned, escaped, and then exiled. This has happened to thousands of people. Last year alone, persecution against political actors was brutal, especially against members of Vente Venezuela, Maria Corina's party. So it's very hard to imagine who comes after her. In many ways, she's the last woman standing. This doesn't mean leadership won't change. But right now, the pool of choices is extremely limited."

Q: People talk a lot about oil. What gets lost in that conversation?
A: "I'm not an energy expert, but I do get frustrated when oil dominates the conversation while forced disappearances are ignored. Venezuelans haven't had real access to our oil wealth for a long time. China and Russia have benefited enormously. The government mismanaged what was once one of the strongest oil industries in the world and practically bankrupted it. Yes, oil matters. But it's a mistake to think Venezuela had sovereignty over its oil before this moment. Oil has long been used to finance a brutal dictatorship. So the oil discussion is important and worrying, but without nuance, it misses the real human cost."

Q: Whose voices should people be listening to?
A: "I strongly believe in local journalism over international analysis. These stories should be told by people living this reality, not just by experts who study Venezuela from afar. I consider myself a communist and very left-wing, and it's been extremely painful to see leftist leaders around the world ignore clear human rights violations, electoral fraud, and forced displacement, simply because Venezuela is considered an ally. At the same time, the opposition's international allies often come from the right, and they don't necessarily stand for democratic values either. Trump is a clear example. He has made Venezuelans' lives harder through racist policies and by closing legal migration pathways. This has made Venezuelans feel incredibly alone for decades.

So, listen to Venezuelan voices, in Venezuela and in the diaspora. They are diverse, and many are still documenting what's happening, often at great personal risk.

• For individuals, I would recommend Luis Carlos Díaz (Instagram) and Mariana Atencio (Instagram).
• For media, Caracas Chronicles publishes local journalism for a global audience in English and Spanish.
• In Spanish, Tal Cual (Instagram), and Runrun.es (Instagram), La Gran Aldea (Instagram) are essential. But many outlets have closed, especially after funding cuts and increased persecution. The media ecosystem has been devastated."

Gabriela Mesones Rojo (Instagram), a Venezuelan journalist in Caracas, who focuses on human rights and state persecution.