Venezuela – La Patilla, May 22, 2026
The United States ambassador to Argentina, Peter Lamelas, met this Thursday with Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, who was released on March 1 after 448 days in captivity in Venezuela.
“Maduro’s regime in Venezuela used the arbitrary detention of foreign citizens as a tool of political repression. Nahuel Gallo is a brave survivor of these horrors. Today I heard his story firsthand, and it is something no human being should have to endure,” Lamelas wrote on his social media accounts.
The diplomat expressed confidence that the leadership of President Donald Trump opens a path toward restoring democracy in Venezuela and “the possibility that political prisoners, such as the Argentine Germán Giuliani, may return to their homes.”
Giuliani is the last Argentine citizen still detained in Venezuela, following the release of Yaacob Harary, Gustavo Rivara, Roberto Baldo, and Nahuel Gallo. The Argentine lawyer marks one year in detention this week despite having received a release order since February and precautionary measures issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
