Venezuelan YouTuber Oscar Alejandro Pérez. Photo: Misión Verdad.
Venezuelan YouTuber Oscar Alejandro Pérez Martínez was arrested at the Maiquetía International Airport for comments he made on his YouTube channel, where he made a so-called “joke” about a possible bomb attack on the Credicard financial center that would collapse the national banking system.
For inciting terrorism, the Public Ministry requested a precautionary measure for Oscar Alejandro on Monday, April 1. While Venezuelan authorities were taking action, a media campaign was unleashed by corporate media and opposition political figures to discredit the government and distort the incident as an arbitrary act that violated the rights of the YouTuber.
Making terrorist threats, even in jest, carries serious consequences and prompts security and justice authorities to take action. This scenario is the same in any country, but in the case of Venezuela, these actions are usually used to vilify the government, falsely alleging violations of freedom of expression and human rights.
Por esto detuvieron a Óscar Alejandro, el Youtuber que dijo el edificio que había que atacar…
En otro país lo hubiesen dado de baja.
¡Terrorista! pic.twitter.com/gVZfYz0AB6— Ernesto Meléndez (@ernestojmro) March 31, 2024
Freedom of expression to call for acts of terrorism?
It is hypocritical to single out Venezuela in this case, when there are numerous examples that demonstrate that this action is common to preserve national security, and that those who criticize, such as the United States, are much more severe in similar situations.
In fact, these accusations come just days after US federal authorities detained illegal Venezuelan migrant Leonel Moreno, nicknamed “Leito”, who went viral on social networks for inciting crimes by mocking the authorities of that country. Moreno, who escaped from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after crossing the southern border of Texas in 2022, was captured in Columbus, Ohio, by agents of said agency.
He is currently being held in the Geauga County Jail, according to ICE records. During his stay in the US, he has urged other immigrants to invade the country and occupy the homes of US citizens, boasting about supposed government handouts while waving wads of bills on his social media. “Leito” also sparked controversy when in February he publicly called on Venezuelans to come together to help a 15-year-old boy accused of shooting a tourist in Times Square.
Another example is the arrest in Japan of Ramsey Khalid Ismael, an American content creator on TikTok known as Johnny Somali. Among his actions are disturbing the peace in a restaurant in Osaka with noises coming from a live broadcast from his cell phone, in which incitements to riot could be heard, as well as breaking into a construction site in the same city and uttering abuse. Ismael was also captured on video on a train making offensive comments towards the Japanese, even threatening them with atomic bombs.
The authorities emphasized that criminal liability must be taken seriously, highlighting the need to impose necessary punishments to deter other foreign creators who come to Japan in search of virality with their live broadcasts.
A Japanese court found him guilty of “criminal obstruction of an enterprise.” As part of his punishment, Somali was fined 200,000 yen (equivalent to about $1,300) and expelled from the country. Whether it is about “influencers” who deliberately seek to generate controversy to gain visibility on social networks, or whether they are seemingly innocent comments, there are costs that must be assumed.
This is the case of the Indian-British student Aditya Verma, who faced trial in Spain for a failed prank he made in July 2022. Verma published a message on Snapchat referring to a terrorist attack while flying from London to Menorca, which caused that Spanish fighter planes took off towards the commercial plane.
@MinpublicoVEN #solicitó al Juez de Control respectivo: una #medida cautelar #innominada a Oscar Alejandro Pérez ( basado en el Art 242 ord 9 del COPP ) de estar atento al llamado del Ministerio Público y del Tribunal:
Ello luego de haber este publicado un video en…
— Tarek William Saab (@TarekWiliamSaab) April 1, 2024
Despite arguing that his intention was not to hurt anyone and that it was a prank related to his ethnicity, Verma was detained and faced interrogation by British intelligence services upon returning to the United Kingdom. He was acquitted in the trial, but had to pay a fine of 22,500 euros, and the Spanish Ministry of Defense demanded further compensation of 95,000 euros for the false alarm generated. The young man, 18 years old at the time, had to face the consequences of his joke in poor taste.
On another occasion, in 2014, Venezuelan doctor Manuel Alvarado had to pay a fine of $89,000 imposed by authorities at Miami International Airport (MIA) after causing chaos by making a joke about carrying a bomb with him. The MIA communications department stressed that these types of threats at an airport cannot be considered simple mockery.
“People make these stupid comments all the time, and they think it’s funny, but if they want to be funny at this airport, we are going to show them what being funny means,” said Emilio González, director of MIA at the time.
Alvarado’s comment resulted in the closure of a portion of the terminal for several hours and the evacuation of the area, causing delays and inconvenience to passengers and airport employees. The incident occurred when the doctor was preparing to board a flight to Bogotá, with a connection to Maiquetía, Venezuela.
Me hace demasiado feliz que hayan puesto preso a la lacra de “ Leito Oficial” ☺️
— Oscar Alejandro 🚀 (@eloscarale) March 30, 2024
Story of the arrest: “I was treated with respect”
Oscar Alejandro Pérez was released on April 1 after receiving the precautionary measure from the Public Ministry. The attorney general, Tarek William Saab, offered details of the case and stated that his human rights were respected and that it cannot be classified as an arbitrary detention. Later, the YouTuber published a video in which he narrated the events and confirmed what the attorney general said.
Pérez says that initially he was informed that he had problems carrying out the check due to a request for arrest by a court with jurisdiction over terrorism and acts of hate. In his words, he highlights that he was treated with respect during his detention and thanks the officials who allowed him the company of his mother.
Later, he said he was taken to court where he was allowed to have a lawyer. There, he apologized for his statement and said that the judge determined that it was not necessary for him to remain detained, although he warned him that he should be attentive to future requests from the judicial authorities.
Living in the United States, Oscar Alejandro Pérez should be aware that comments of a terrorist nature are harshly punished. He had no reason to irresponsibly mention the possibility of a bomb attack on the Credicard financial center.
Trivializing serious acts such as inciting terrorism, presenting them as simple jokes, is especially worrying given the current context in Venezuela. In the midst of political tensions and extremist conspiracies that seek to destabilize the country through coups, assassinations and riots, the government’s investigating such claims is essential, holding individuals responsible for their actions and words in public.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/KW/AU
Misión Verdad
Misión Verdad is a Venezuelan investigative journalism website with a socialist perspective in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution
