Freed Argentine officer urges release of remaining foreign prisoners in Venezuela

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Nahuel Gallo, the Argentine military police officer who had been detained in Venezuela since December 2024, urged the international community on Wednesday to seek the release of 24 foreign nationals still held in the infamous Venezuelan prison Rodeo I.

Gallo, who was released Sunday after spending 448 days in detention in a prison outside Caracas, said he will not feel free until the 24 foreigners regain their freedom.

“My mind is still in prison,” the officer said during a news briefing in Buenos Aires, where he appeared alongside several high-ranking officials, including Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, who thanked Argentina’s allies, including the United States, Italy and Israel, for their help in securing Gallo’s release.

Gallo was detained on Dec. 8, 2024 while on leave to visit his family. The officer, who was stationed in Argentina’s central province of Mendoza at the time, was arrested on charges of espionage, according to Argentina’s Foreign Ministry.

Venezuela’s attorney general at the time, Tarek William Saab, said Gallo “had attempted to enter Venezuelan territory irregularly,” and was “concealing his true criminal plan under the guise of a romantic visit.”

Saab also accused him of being linked to “international far-right groups.”

The Argentine government, however, said the officer had traveled to visit his partner, who is Venezuelan, and their son.

Hours before Wednesday's news briefing, an Argentine federal judge summoned Gallo to testify as a witness in a case investigating alleged crimes against humanity attributed to the government of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“Gallo could contribute his knowledge of the events under investigation, which were reported to have been carried out by the Venezuelan state apparatus,” according to a summons issued by Argentine Judge Sebastián Ramos and obtained by The Associated Press.

Gallo didn't mention the summons during the briefing or indicate whether he intends to testify. Instead, he requested time and patience from the press, saying he is still not ready to reveal everything he has experienced.

“I still can’t talk about the atrocities they committed,” Gallo said.

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