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Italian, Swiss Journalists Among 3 Detained in Venezuela

A Venezuelan journalists association says the country's National Guard has detained three journalists who were reporting on a prison.
Image: Items belonging to journalists Jesus Medina, Roberto Di Mateo and Filippo Rossi, arrested at Tocoron, Venezuela are displayed on a table
Items belonging to journalists Jesus Medina, Roberto Di Matteo and Filippo Rossi, arrested at Tocoron, Venezuela are displayed on a table on Oct. 7 2017.Eleazar Urbaez / via EPA
/ Source: The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela — A Venezuelan journalists association says the country's National Guard has detained three journalists who were reporting on a prison. They include an Italian and a Swiss citizen.

Image: Items belonging to journalists Jesus Medina, Roberto Di Matteo and Filippo Rossi, arrested at Tocoron, Venezuela are displayed on a table
Items belonging to journalists Jesus Medina, Roberto Di Matteo and Filippo Rossi, arrested at Tocoron, Venezuela are displayed on a table on Oct. 7 2017.Eleazar Urbaez / via EPA

The National Press Workers Union says on its Twitter feed that it's not sure why Roberto di Matteo of Italy, Filippo Rossi of Switzerland and Jesus Medina were detained on Friday. It says they were having a court hearing on Sunday.

The Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that a Swiss citizen was arrested, but said it couldn't give more details. Venezuelan officials had made no comment.