Journalists are attacked by Maduro security guards and GSI agents

Journalists were attacked, on Tuesday night (30), by security guards of the Venezuelan dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and by agents of the Institutional Security Office (GSI) at the Itamaraty Palace. The aggression took place after the meeting of South American presidents and began during an interview with Maduro, reported the portal. g1.

The dictator’s security guards wanted to prevent the journalists from approaching and, in the confusion, reporter Delis Ortiz, from TV Globo, was hit by a GSI member with a punch in the chest. Other professionals would also have been attacked.

After the episode, Itamaraty released a note regretting what had happened. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs regrets the incident in which there was aggression against press professionals, at the end of the Meeting of Presidents of South America. Steps will be taken to determine responsibilities,” says the statement.

“The Press Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic stands in solidarity with journalist Delis Ortiz and repudiates any and all aggression against journalists. All possible measures will be taken so that this episode never happens again”, said Secom, in a note.

Press associations condemn attacks on journalists

The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) defended that the aggression be rigorously investigated. “Abraji vehemently repudiates the aggression suffered by press professionals, including TV Globo reporter Delis Ortiz, during the departure of the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, from Itamaraty tonight. The violation of press freedom must be rigorously investigated”, says the communiqué of the entity.

The Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters (ABERT) also expressed itself through a note and repudiated the attacks suffered by press professionals. The entity said that “it is unjustifiable and unacceptable that in a democratic government like in Brazil, security guards attack the press, as is usually the case in Venezuela”.

“ABERT reaffirms its intransigent defense of freedom of expression and the right to free information and asks the Brazilian authorities to rigorously investigate the case and punish the aggressors”, says another part of the note.