"They thought we were spies": French journalists arrested in Venezuela explained how they had been arrested

The two French journalists arrested last week in Venezuela for two days on Monday explained how their arrest had occurred, in the TV show they are working for.

"When we decided to leave for Venezuela, we found that getting a journalist visa was very complicated. But we said that we had to go there at that time instead of waiting for three weeks or a month. ", explains Baptiste des Monstiers in the chain TMC.

Detained by the forces of order, andThey were sometimes handcuffed and unable to communicate with their embbady. They were transferred to several places of detention, including El Helicoide, the headquarters of the Venezuelan secret service (Sebin). They coincided with the three journalists of the Spanish agency EFE, also briefly detained.

In the beginning, "They took us for spies or secret diplomatic staff, we did not know it very well"Explained Monsters. "It was a roller coaster," according to Caillé.

The two journalists were deported on Thursday after the EU demanded their release.

The NGO Reporters Without Borders calls on Nicolás Maduro's government to "respect freedom of information" and denounced the confiscation of equipment, such as cameras and mobile phones, as well as censorship on local radio and television stations.

Without explicitly mentioning the arrests, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced on Twitter that foreign journalists They entered the country without first applying for a work permit from the consulates.

Immersed for years in an unprecedented social and economic crisis, with sharp declines in GDP, hyperinflation, increased poverty and violence, Venezuela is from the first days of 2019 going through an escalation of political tension after the appointment by the Parliament of Juan Guaidó, President of the National Assembly and Leader of the Opposition.

The Chávez regime of Nicolás Maduro has refused to recognize this authority and clings to the Venezuelan government. threatening to use the armed forces to resist any attempt to change the executive.

In addition, Venezuelan bicephalia has deeply divided the international community, with the United States, Canada, Europe and most Latin American countries recognizing Guaidó, while Russia, China, Turkey and Iran, among others, supported Maduro. Mexico and Uruguay, among others, have decided to adopt an intermediate position and call for dialogue and non-intervention.