Over a dozen media workers detained in Venezuela, says press association

Over a dozen journalists were briefly detained while covering Maduro-support protests and Venezuela’s new legislature, with all later released except one foreign reporter who was deported.

Reuters

6 January 2026 at 07:03:01

Over a dozen media workers detained in Venezuela, says press association

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks to reporters after members of Congress were briefed on the situation in Venezuela, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 5, 2026.

Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

More than a dozen media workers were detained on Monday while covering events in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, including a march in support of ousted President Nicolas Maduro and the swearing-in of the country's new legislature, the South American nation's press association said.

All 14 of those detained were later released, the press association (SNTP) said on X, though one was a foreign journalist who was deported.

SNTP said that those detained included 11 people working with international media outlets and one with a national outlet.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm all of the detentions.

Venezuela's information ministry, which handles all contact with the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the detentions. Venezuela's Ministry of Communications also did not respond to requests for comment.

The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and CNN did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Reuters also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The press detentions come after the U.S. military detained Maduro in an overnight operation this weekend. On Monday the deposed leader pleaded not guilty to narcoterrorism charges in a New York court.

His vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has since taken the reins as interim leader.

-Reuters