STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Venezuelan officials swore in the acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, on Monday. She's the former vice president and longtime ally of Nicolas Maduro, and she has pledged to stabilize the country. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: Delcy Rodriguez, dressed in a bright green dress, was sworn in by her brother, longtime leader of the National Assembly. She did not wear the customary presidential sash.
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PRESIDENT DELCY RODRIGUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
KAHN: "I swear for the people of Venezuela that I will not rest - not even for one minute - to guarantee peace and tranquility." President Trump has backed Rodriguez. He's also threatened that if she doesn't follow U.S. demands, she could face, quote, "a fate worse than Maduro." Maduro's son, also named Nicolas, is an assemblyman and stood by Rodriguez's side. He's a named defendant in the U.S. indictment accusing his father and stepmother of drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, outside the Assembly, Venezuelan military intelligence officials detained multiple reporters attempting to cover the swearing-in. According to a national union of journalists, which advocates for a free press, 14 journalists were detained yesterday throughout Caracas. By late evening, 13 were released. One, a foreign national, was deported. Most were working for international media outlets. Journalists are tightly restricted from entering Venezuela. The press freedom group says officers confiscated phones and searched all contacts and conversations. In a statement, the group said this type of action not only threatens the privacy and the security of sources, but also is a pattern of criminalization of journalism.
Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Bogota, Colombia.
(SOUNDBITE OF COLLEEN'S "GEOMETRIA DEL UNIVERSO") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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