Venezuelan press advocates had raised alarm on Sunday over the whereabouts of a veteran journalist in Venezuela who has gone radio silence since Friday. The press had further claimed that he had been detained by government authorities in the country’s capital.
At the time of filing this report oat about 8:00 am (WAT) on Monday, October 28, the government has yet to respond or react on the case of Nelin Escalante, an independent journalist, who recently posted videos on his social media where he was talking about the price of the dollar in the country.
Venezuela’s National College of Journalists (CNP) had in a post on social media, said that Escalante had been missing for 48 hours and demanded his prompt release.
According to the group, he was “taken” on Friday afternoon by agents belonging to an intelligence service known as the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence, or DGCIM.
“We want to know (Escalante’s) whereabouts and release,” the CNP demanded.
The press workers union (SNTP) in the country had meanwhile, revealed that Escalante last had contact with his relatives on Friday and that his colleagues had condemned his detention, although it did not specify the day.
The United Nations has since accused the DGCIM of unreasonable arrests and torture, with the press union documenting at least eight cases of journalists detained after the July 28 presidential election.
