U.S. journalist Jim Wyss recounted his detainment for almost 48 hours by the Venezuelan authorities in an article published on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Wyss, who is the chief correspondent for the The Miami Herald's Andean Region bureau, returned to the United States on Sunday, Nov. 10 after being released the day before, reported news agency EFE.
The reporter's detainment began Thursday Nov. 7 when Wyss visited the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Guard -- the agency in charge of patrolling the country's borders -- to ask for statistics on contraband along the border with Colombia. That day, he had interviewed several political leaders about the upcoming municipal elections on Dec. 8.
"The afternoon dragged into the evening with multiple reassurances that 'The General' had just cleared his agenda for me," Wyss said. "At 7 p.m. — about four hours into the wait — I told them I had to leave. They said I couldn’t."
Wyss was then informed that the military counterintelligence was investigating him. In his account, the journalist detailed the interrogation that he was subjected to and said both his cell phone and computer memory were confiscated. He also described the “fortunate” events that led to his release, like how he managed to make a secret call to his girlfriend – who contacted the Herald directors – or when he was seen by other Venezuelan reporters who noticed his arrest.
Wyss, based in Bogotá, has spent three years covering the Andean region. During this time, he traveled to Venezuela at least 12 times for work without a hitch, he said in his article.
After learning about his situation, organizations like the Inter American Press Association, IAPA, demanded the reporter’s immediate release. Claudio Paolillo, president of IAPA's Commission on Freedom of the Press and Information, described Wyss' detention as a “new sign of intolerance of a regime that shows everyday its contempt for freedom of the press and the work of journalists.”
Last week, Venezuela's National Union of Press Workers criticized the seven-hour detainment of several journalists from Diario 2001 when it was discovered that they had been invited to the event where they were arrested.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
