Overview
- The Mexican reporter and his Colombian colleague were detained at the Tienditas crossing, held incommunicado for roughly 14–17 hours, and interrogated by Venezuela’s intelligence service, SEBIN.
- Mazoy described psychological intimidation, including a bare cell with restraints and a bucket of cockroaches, while Martínez recounted implicit threats such as being handed a copy of Gabriel García Márquez’s El secuestro.
- Authorities confiscated phones and equipment, reviewed their contents, and later deported both journalists to Colombia.
- Mazoy credited social media pressure for their release and said he suffered no physical assault during custody.
- Venezuela’s press union SNTP recorded at least six detentions and four deportations of journalists at the border from Jan. 5–7, as media organizations call for guarantees for newsgathering.