Univision's Jorge Ramos learned just how oppressive the Venezuelan regime under President Nicolas Maduro is when he was detained at the Presidential Palace on Monday. Ramos and other Univision staffers had planned to interview Maduro at 2 p.m., but it was pushed back for hours. When they finally did have a chance to chat with Maduro, he apparently "didn't like" their questions.
Attention: A @Univision team, headed by @jorgeramosnews, is being arbitrarily detained at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas. They were interviewing @NicolasMaduro but he didn't like the questions. Their technical equipment was also confiscated. https://t.co/c45tB0E4er
— Univision News (@UnivisionNews) February 26, 2019
After speaking with her father, Paolo Ramos learned that Maduro had forced her dad and his team into a dark room for over two hours.
just talked to my dad. He is safe. He told me that 15 mins into his interview, Maduro stopped him & then forced him & his team into a dark room for 2.5 hours. He was then released without any of his belongings. https://t.co/VoHuESZUK1
— Paola Ramos (@paoramos) February 26, 2019
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) who has been one of the most vocal lawmakers to expose the Maduro regime, commended journalists like Ramos for getting the truth out there about the dictatorship.
I have tremendous respect for the journalists who covered events this weekend in #Venezuela.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 26, 2019
Their photos,videos,tweets & reporting is an example of journalism at its best; providing facts that influence policy makers & inform the public.
Thank You. https://t.co/sXVOGvHBEC
Freedom of the press also struggled a bit in Vietnam this week, where President Trump is embarking on his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. NBC's Peter Alexander reported how he and the rest of the White House press corps were abruptly relocated and forced to move from the hotel where Kim Jong Un was staying.
“I was in the lobby at the time. Security officers demanded that I delete all the photos I had – ordered me to take the stairs so I wouldn’t step on the freshly-laid red carpet.” @peteralexander talks about relocation of White House press corps space in Vietnam pic.twitter.com/CTPog8PXi3
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 26, 2019
He added that for several hours he and other reporters "were holed up on the seventh floor, the elevators shut down as the North Koreans secured the property for the, as they describe him, Supreme Leader."
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