Miami Herald | Maynard Institute
Miami Herald Andean bureau chief Jim Wyss was released from 48 hours in Venezuelan detention on Saturday, according to the Miami Herald and his own Twitter account.
Excellent news from my excellent colleague @andrewrosati in Caracas http://t.co/cXu5p3Moq0
— jimwyss (@jimwyss) November 9, 2013
Wyss, who is based in Colombia, was detained on Thursday evening near the Colombia border while reporting on Venezuela’s economy and approaching elections, Andrew Rosati reported in the Herald:
Venezuelan authorities said Wyss was taken into custody because he did not have permission to report in the country. Wyss said he was flown Friday evening to the detention center in Caracas, where he was visited by a U.S. Embassy official.
The Herald reports that Wyss was in pretty good shape, although tired, after sharing a cramped space with eight other people and living off of ham sandwiches.
“It’s like living in a bar with bunk beds,” Wyss said in the Herald.
On Sunday, Richard Prince wrote for the Maynard Institute that he’d heard from editor John Yearwood, who went to Venezuela to help with Wyss’ release. Yearwood wrote “There’s no question that the release would not have happened this quickly without the help of many people, including some within the U.S. government.”
He did not go into detail about that assistance.
Nancy San Martin reported in the Herald Sunday that Wyss had arrived in Miami. Wyss, who has reported from Venezuela more than a dozen times, said he hoped to be back reporting on Venezuela soon.
