Water-balloon fight in Barcelona, Venezuela, led to treason charges for 25 youths

Authorities in Barcelona, a coastal city in eastern Venezuela, detained 25 boys and young men — aged roughly 13 to 25 — after a water balloon fight days after President Nicolás Maduro was captured, and state prosecutors filed treason charges against them, according to court documents and interviews.

The gatherings were an annual Carnival tradition, but local police and National Guard troops arrived in force and, according to two of the boys and relatives of four others, fired shots before the youths scattered and were arrested. One 17-year-old recalled an officer saying, “I’m going to screw you all over...

You all support Donald Trump,” after the arrest. Fifteen minors were arraigned on charges including “treason to the homeland,” and families said many detainees were held in a larger jail. The detentions come amid a broader campaign by Venezuela’s interim government, backed by the Trump administration, to stamp out perceived dissent since Mr.

Maduro’s capture. President Trump has praised the interim leadership, which has overseen the release of about 150 political prisoners — roughly a sixth of the nation’s estimated total — even as security forces have set up checkpoints, searched phones, extorted citizens and arrested dozens suspected of supporting the U.S.

Key Topics

World, Nicolás Maduro, Barcelona, Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, National Guard