Transcription
Now we have reports that paramilitary groups are patrolling Karacus with motorbikes and assault rifles. Is that true? What can you tell us?
Yeah, that's true. We have seen that since yesterday, uh, in different parts of the city. Uh, they have been reports even by local journalists who have the chance to photograph these groups. Uh, they have been detaining some, uh, cars and, uh, asking for documents or maybe asking to check on the phones of the people to see if they are sharing, uh, information about the capture of Nicolas Maduro or even celebrating what happened last Saturday. Uh, because there isn't right now, uh, a state of external commotion, uh, in Venezuela that ordered by the government. And one of the, uh, of the elements of that is the, uh, capturing of people who gets in line with Venezuela with the United States operation. Uh, we saw today the arrest of two people in, uh, in the Andean region of Venezuela by the National Bolivarian Police, uh, accusing them of being celebrating the actions of the US on Venezuelan soil.
Victor, journalists detained as well. So the report is 14 journalists and media employees, uh, that included 13 members of international media detained in Caracus. Uh, all but one later released. What do you understand the reasoning behind that was?
Uh, and the, and one of those who were released was also deported at the same time because it was a foreign, uh, it was a foreigner. Uh, almost all of the journalists that were detained yesterday worked for international media. And there is approximately 120 international journalists right outside, uh, in the Colombian side of the border near Cúcuta, uh, also waiting for the permit to go inside Venezuela. I think the Venezuelan government, not so different to what was happening with Maduro when Maduro was still in power, they don't want too many eyes inside the country. Uh, so they haven't issued visas for, uh, journalists since, I don't know, maybe two or three years. But of course, now the situation gets more, uh, complicated and the requests from international media to come to Venezuela and report what is happening here gets this push. Uh, it's not that different that was happened before, but for the first time we saw a crackdown for 15, 14 journalists, uh, and the colleague workers, uh, on one day and in the same, uh, place. Half of them were detained near the place when, uh, where Deli Rodriguez was being invested as, uh, president, interim president of the country.
You're a local journalist. Are you worried at all?
All the time, every day.
And opposition leader Maria Karina Machado is set to arrive back in Venezuela. She says she's going to do that as soon as possible. What will that mean? And do you think that will be a significant shift when she arrives back there?
Well, I'm sure we're going to hear more about Marur in the coming days. Is going to start apparently tomorrow to have some interviews with, uh, Spanish-speaking outlets and even, uh, Venezuelan media, some independent outlets in Venezuela. So, we'll see what she's going to say about those plans. For now, she's making still a pledge to Donald Trump about, uh, facilitating a full transition, a democratic transition in in Venezuela. She also said that she have, she haven't spoke with Trump since October last year. Uh, so that has had an impact inside the Venezuelan, the discussion of the people is that, well, maybe Marina is not that influential on the Trump government. Maybe Marina, uh, is yesterday's news and we have to, uh, deal with what is presented today as a reality. But at the same time, there is also voices mainly in the, uh, European Union and other, uh, in other countries saying, well, but if you're going to push for a transition in Venezuela, you, you're not going to get that, uh, with the remaining government of Nicolas Maduro still in power, but trying to facilitate new elections or or a scenario of actual political transition.