Swiss TV journalists recount 50 hours of detention in UAE

A Swiss public broadcaster is criticizing the detention of two journalists who were held for 50 hours in the United Arab Emirates while preparing reports on the opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum.

French-language broadcaster RTS says reporter Serge Enderlin and cameraman Jon Bjorgvinsson were accredited for the event, which included a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The museum's public opening was Saturday.

The journalists appeared on an RTS program after they were released and returned to Switzerland.

Enderlin said he and Bjorgvinsson were conducting interviews at a market frequented by Pakistani immigrant workers when police stopped them. He said their equipment was confiscated, and they were let go only after they signed confessions.

Bjorgvinsson recounted being blindfolded and held alone, but said they were not physically harmed.