A team of six Univision journalists, including veteran newsman Jorge Ramos, have reportedly been released from the Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, after being detained, Univision News reported via Twitter.
The news organization’s initial tweet alleged that the team was interviewing embattled leader Nicolás Maduro, but “he did not like the questions,” Univsion said. They were detained for two hours and had their video equipment and phones taken away. They were released “unharmed,” Univision said in a report.
“We don’t have anything,” Ramos told Univision after the journalists were released. “They took our cameras, everything. They have the interview.”
In an interview with Univision, Ramos said that Maduro ended the interview, roughly 17 minutes in, after Ramos showed Maduro a video of “youths” picking through the trash.
“UPDATE from president of Univision News says anchor @jorgeramosnews and team have been released from the presidential palace in Caracas, after reportedly being detained by Maduro’s government over interview,” CBS News Manuel Bojorquez reported on Twitter.
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Kimberly Breier tweeted that the the US State Department was aware of the detainment.
.@StateDept ha recibido notificación de que el periodista @jorgeramosnews y su equipo están detenidos contra su voluntad en el palacio de Miraflores por Nicolás Maduro. Insistimos en su liberación inmediata; el mundo esta mirando. #Venezuela
— Kimberly Breier (@WHAAsstSecty) February 26, 2019
A spokeswoman from Univision pointed INSIDER to their Twitter feed, and a spokeswoman from the State Department declined to comment on the record but noted that Breier tweeted about the incident.
Univision tweeted a photo of Ramos with the caption, “Happy to report @jorgeramosnews and the @univison team have been released. Here he is on his phone in his hotel after he was released this evening.”
Venezuela is currently undergoing political upheaval. Maduro is the authoritarian leader clinging to power in the country, while many countries including the United States, recognize Juan Guaidó as the interim president.
Over the weekend the fight between the two leaders intersected with the severe humanitarian crisis in the country, with militias supporting Maduro sending food and humanitarian aid to address food and medical supply shortages on fire.
This content was originally published here.
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