Venezuelan security forces detain journalists as armed police patrol streets

At least 14 members of the press were detained in Venezuela on Monday as they were covering the aftermath of the seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by US forces.

The union representing media workers in Venezuela said all but one of those detained were employed by foreign news organisations and were released later on Monday, with one reporter deported.

Foreign news media have long faced restrictions in Venezuela, with very few being granted visas to work in the country.

Their detention came as Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as the interim president and shortly after she said that she was willing to co-operate with the Trump administration, which has said it would “run” Venezuela.

The union said the media workers were detained by Venezuelan security forces at the National Assembly and its environs, and in the neighbourhood of Altamira – all in the capital, Caracas.

At least two of them were seized by agents working for Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency, while others were detained by Venezuela’s intelligence service.

They said they had their equipment searched, their phones checked and their social media posts and messages read, the union statement added.

A Colombian and a Spanish reporter were also detained at Venezuela’s border with Colombia near Cúcuta.

The two reporters were held for hours incommunicado before being released back into Colombia, the statement said.

The union called the incidents “alarming” and called for the release of 23 media workers who remain in detention in the country.

The repression has not been confined to media workers.

One community leader in the neighbourhood of Petare, in Caracas, told BBC Mundo that there were “hooded men with guns patrolling, checking people’s WhatsApp statuses”.

Caracas resident José, 60, said that people were not able to talk freely about what was happening, with a heavy police and military presence on the streets, as well as pro-Maduro armed groups, known as “colectivos”, wearing masks.

A 33-year-old masseuse, who did not want to be named, said there was “so much fear in the streets and in our homes”.

Members of the government appeared keen to show that the security forces were visible in communities, with the Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, posting a photo of himself on Monday night posing with armed police.

Their presence has struck fear in people critical of the government.

One woman described how there are “military people on every corner and groups of armed civilians supporting the government who are causing fear among the population”.

Another person who asked to remain anonymous told the BBC that “the regime is not allowing news to come out of here.” They added that “there are uniformed personnel on the streets stopping people and checking their phones”.

The journalist detentions come at a volatile time in Venezuela, where just days ago the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife were seized by US forces in a pre-dawn raid in which dozens of his bodyguards and security detail were killed.

While the seizure prompted celebrations among Venezuelans who oppose Maduro and who have left the country, there were no public displays of joy in Venezuela.

Opposition Venezuelans have long denounced the repression they face if they speak out against the Maduro government.

More than 2,000 people were arrested during protests in the wake of the 2024 presidential election.

The government-dominated electoral council declared Maduro the winner of that election but voting tallies collected by the opposition and verified by independent media suggest that it was won by the opposition candidate.

In the crackdown which followed the election, members of the security forces checked people’s phone for messages critical of Maduro, prompting many Venezuelans to erase their social media accounts and message history.

Many of those arrested at the time were sentenced to lengthy prison sentences after being sentenced for “treason”.

According to pressure group Foro Penal, there are more than 800 political prisoners being held in Venezuela as of 5 January.