[Witness spoke in Spanish, interpreted as follows:]
There has been a state policy that considers freedom of expression as an enemy. It considers critical journalism as an enemy of the state, and this is the way it has been treated with different kinds of strategies, but that's the stance that the government has had for more than 20 years, including the governments of Hugo Chávez and Maduro.
In Venezuelan society, that policy has created a search for and an interest in alternative sources of media. When RCTV closed in 2009, certain frequencies stopped working on the radio, so people started looking for alternative sources of media online. This shows that, in spite of the restrictions in Venezuela, the small spaces that do have an ability to function are the ones that are the most sought-after, and this supports processes such as those taken by the National Assembly.
That also supports the mobilizations and the protests that took place. However, people are not aware of all the marches or the protests that are taking place because they don't have access to all the information. The restrictions have created a toxic climate because of this state policy, but at the same time, the society looks for information through alternative sources.