More than a dozen media workers were detained on Monday while covering events in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, including a march in support of captured 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/Twitter, 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.
SNTP documented inspection of equipment, unlocking of mobile phones, and tracking calls and messages on communication platforms and social networks.
Additionally, two reporters, one of Spanish nationality and the other Colombian, were detained at the border between Venezuela and Colombia, and held for several hours without communication, before being released back into Colombian territory, the organization reported.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm all of the detentions.
Venezuelan authorities, news agencies, did not respond to Reuters' request for comment
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 US military detained Maduro in an overnight operation this weekend. On Monday, he pleaded not guilty to narcoterrorism charges in a New York court.
His vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, has since taken the reins as interim leader.