MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela: Journalists arrested and deported complied with accreditations

The reporters of the EFE agency were a “reinforcement” team that was covering the Venezuelan crisis for a period of ten days

The National Union of Workers of the Press (SNTP) of Venezuela reported that reporters from the Spanish international agency EFE who were detained by the National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) in Caracas will be deported despite fulfilling the necessary papers to carry out his journalistic work.

The arrest of three journalists from the EFE news agency that covered the opposition demonstrations called for last Wednesday has raised to ten the number of reporters detained in recent days.

According to a source from the Spanish international agency, the journalists complied with the corresponding papers to work and only spent three hours asking questions in the opposition demonstrations. It was a “reinforcement” team that was covering the Venezuelan crisis for a period of ten days.

However, the foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, has alleged that “some foreign journalists have entered the country irregularly without previously fulfilling the respective application for a work permit” at the consulates.

The union of Venezuelan communicators indicated that Colombians Leonardo Muñoz and Maurén Barriga Vargas and Spaniard Gonzalo Domínguez will be sent to their countries on Thursday, after being released and made available this morning at the Identification and Foreign Service (SAIME) for later transfer to Simón Bolívar International Airport, one hour from the Venezuelan capital.

Muñoz, photographer of the agency, was arrested at noon yesterday when he was covering with his driver, José Salas, the protests that were called by the opposition Parliament in Caracas and his whereabouts were not known until the night, when the political police arrested him the other journalists.

Domínguez and Barriga, on the other hand, were awaited by five heavily armed Sebin agents at the hotel where they were staying to be transferred to the headquarters of this security body, known as Helicoide, reported EFE.

The driver Salas, a Venezuelan national, was released this afternoon, EFE source told.

On Thursday, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) demanded the “cessation of hostile actions against journalists” in Venezuela and the “immediate release” of all informants detained in the country “for exercising their professional work.”

From the de facto government of Nicolás Maduro, attempts have been made to justify these incidents by appealing against registration irregularities.

Juan Guaidó, who was sworn in as interim president of Venezuela, has found immediate support for his proclamation by some thirty countries and important international organizations while the Government of Nicolás Maduro denounces that there is a coup against him that is supported for a good part of the foreign press.

 

Sebastián Astorga - Montevideo