GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) — The disputed re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro threatens to further erode press freedom, according to media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders.

“For decades, journalism in Venezuela has been under pressure, under attack, under direct censorship by the Maduro regime, by Chavismo, but the situation continues to worsen,” said the group’s Regional Director Artur Romeu.

“There has been no freedom of the press in Venezuela for a long time but current conditions lead us to believe that it can get worse if there is no trust,” he told AFP in an interview in Guatemala.

“The context is one of general atrophy of the news ecosystem. Many media outlets have disappeared,” Romeu said.

Several people died and dozens were injured when the authorities broke up protests against Maduro’s claim of victory in the Sunday election.

Independent polls had predicted the vote would end 25 years of “Chavismo”, the populist movement founded by Maduro’s socialist predecessor and mentor, the late Hugo Chavez.

“If an election is held in which there are serious accusations of fraud, in which there is a lot of mistrust, it is difficult to imagine a context in which journalism can become more vibrant, more present, and do its work in a more structured way,” Romeu said.

“There is really no optimism. It’s difficult to have hope,” added Romeu.

He also voiced alarm about the situation in Nicaragua, where President Daniel Ortega has exiled and jailed dissidents and rivals since returning to power in 2007.

Around 260 journalists from the Central American nation have been forced into exile, according to media rights campaigners.

“Nicaragua is the Latin American country that is currently experiencing perhaps the worst situation in terms of press freedom — I would say in terms of human rights in general,” Romeu said.

“The situation in Nicaragua in terms of human rights, and in particular freedom of the press, is a horror movie.

“The Government systematically interferes, on a daily basis, in the flow of information in all its senses, impacting the journalistic process at every moment,” he added.