Nahuel Gallo spoke for the first time after being kidnapped by the Chavista regime
porEditorial Team
Argentina
The Argentine gendarme decided to speak to the press after 448 days of being illegally detained in Venezuela.
Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo spoke this Wednesday for the first time at a press conference after being kidnapped by the Venezuelan regime for 448 days.
He did so from the Sentinel Building of the National Gendarmerie, where he has been since his return to the country, accompanied by authorities from the force and the Ministry of Security.
Gallo was released last Sunday after being illegally detained in the El Rodeo I prison in Caracas. After his release, he was reunited with his family at Ezeiza Airport, where they waited until dawn to receive him
.
Nahuel Gallo's first statements In his first public words after captivity, the
gendarme clarified that he was in good health and explained why he decided to speak to the press.
“It's not easy to be here, in front of all of you. I asked for it. I have very little information about what has happened in these 448 days. I asked for a moment to give my word to inform them. Thank the Ministry of Security,” he said.
He
also referred to his current stay at the force's headquarters and denied versions of an alleged retention. “I'm here in Centinela. I have heard several reports that they have me here, but no, this is my house. I feel part of my home; it's my institution. I have defended my institution and my flag,” he said, reaffirming his membership
in the Gendarmerie.
Regarding the time of his release, he described the uncertainty he went through. “I had the opportunity to have been released Sunday with a lot of uncertainty, because I didn't know if I was going to be released or if I was going to be transferred to another unit,”
he said. Nahuel Gallo.
When referring to the conditions of detention in El Rodeo I, he was forceful. “Rodeo I isn't a very good place, it's a place of quite a lot of psychological torture and not a pleasant place to tell right now. Just thinking about it makes my mouth hesitate,” he said, recalling his time in the Venezuelan prison.
During the time he was kidnapped, Gallo revealed that he drew the Argentine flag with soap and, even if it was erased, he would do it again. “It was the only thing that made me feel at home, in my country,” he said.
In addition, he warned that there are still people detained in that prison. “There are twenty-four more foreigners in Rodeo 1 who are waiting to be released, of different nationalities,
” he said.
At the same time, his wife, María Alexandra Gómez, had indicated in recent days that Gallo was in good spirits, although he should continue with medical checks. “It wasn't two or three days... it was 448 days. Nahuel is in the process of recovery. Your health comes first. For 14 months he was deliberately denied it while in captivity. Now it has to heal, step by step,” he said
. Nahuel Gallo.
After his return, the gendarme stayed in the Sentinel Building, where he received visits from force authorities, shared an institutional lunch and underwent extensive medical studies
.
Reportedly, their evolution is evaluated day by day to define the next steps in their reintegration both to family life and to their professional activity, after more than 14 months of detention.
The Argentine gendarme was kidnapped on December 8, 2024 while on personal leave in Venezuela to visit his wife and son. After entering the country, he was illegally detained by regime forces and practically disappeared for more than a year
