Crisis in Venezuela: six foreign journalists arrested by the regime at the heart of the tension

MADRID (AFP) .- In the middle of the
political crisis that lives

Venezuela,

with him
ignorance of the president

Nicolás Maduro

by several members of the international community and the oath of
opponent

Juan Guaidó

as "in charge" president, journalists of different nationalities were arrested by the authorities of the
chavismo

Two French journalists, four members of a Spanish agency EFE team and two Chileans who had moved to cover what was happening in Venezuela were arrested in recent hours. The South Americans yesterday were deported.

Inmates at the EFE agency are Colombian cameraman Mauren Barriga, Spanish reporter Gonzalo Domínguez and Colombian photographer Leonardo Muñoz, as well as a Venezuelan driver José Salas.

They are joined by two French journalists, Pierre Caillé and Baptiste des Monstiers, arrested on Tuesday while filming footage around the presidential palace in Miraflores.

Two reporters from Chilean TVN, Rodrigo Pérez and Gonzalo Barahona, were also arrested. They were expelled by order of Nicolás Maduro's government after 14 hours of detention.

The reaction of Spain

Today, the government of

Spain

demanded the "immediate release" of the four press workers and asked "once again the Venezuelan authorities to respect the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of the press is a central element, "the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The Spanish government strongly rejects the detention in Caracas of four members of an agency team by members of SEBIN," he added.

José Manuel Sanz, director of EFE, spoke with Miter radio and said: "We have no news, they are still detained, it is not true that they carried out their work illegally, they Presented their credentials, they were registered and interrogated at the airport, they were allowed to come in. And the purpose was clear, so we can not pretend that they tried to enter clandestinely or to bypbad the regulation. "

He also warned that "the authorities, in a moment of confusion and very serious crisis, are nervous and do not appreciate the presence of the international media, but it is a mistake to think that the fact of silencing the media can help solve Venezuela's problems. "

"Our goal is to be witnesses of what is going on, to say on one side and the other reality, there are many people who are having a bad time," Sanz said. .

For its part, France has demanded through the intermediary of its Ministry of Foreign Affairs the release of its compatriots. "We are asking for their release and we are doing everything we can to get it done as soon as possible," spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters.

The

European Union

He also spoke about the arrests and called for the release of all journalists detained without cause.