Is Nahuel Gallo close to being released after 130 days in prison in Venezuela?

The recent release of five Venezuelan opposition members who were sheltered in the Argentine embassy in Caracas has reignited hopes for the  release of Nahuel Gallo, the Argentine gendarme detained since December 2024 in Venezuela.

A high-ranking source in the  Casa Rosada  revealed to Infobae that there are concrete chances that Gallo will regain his freedom before the end of the year. The Argentine Government interpreted this new diplomatic scenario as an opportunity to negotiate under better conditions.

A case symbolizing the tension between Milei and Maduro

Gallo was arrested by Venezuelan security forces on December 8, 2024. He had entered from Colombia to visit his wife and son, according to his family. Since then, he has remained detained without a sentence, in a context that  Argentina denounced before the International Criminal Court as an arbitrary detention and a possible forced disappearance.

Javier Milei's administration, which broke relations with Venezuela after not recognizing the elections that confirmed Nicolás Maduro, had withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Caracas. However, after this new operation, the national Executive perceived a change in the scenario that could benefit the claim for Gallo.

The operation that managed to free the five opposition members was made possible through negotiations led by the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio,  along with Brazilian authorities. The success of the operation included a safe-conduct that allowed the safe exit of the asylum seekers.

This same mechanism could be replicated to facilitate Gallo's release.

International support and diplomatic pressure

The Argentine Government indicated that the current optimism is mainly due to the actions of external actors. Even so, they publicly celebrated the maneuver and  thanked the collaboration of the United States.

Through an official statement,  Milei's administration expressed that it would continue "working strongly in cooperation with our allies to achieve the release of Nahuel Gallo, illegally kidnapped by the Venezuelan dictatorship."

The case has once again focused on the defense of human rights and political freedom in Latin America, in a regional context increasingly convulsed by diplomatic disputes.

Meanwhile,  the gendarme's family still has no contact with him. The only proof of life came in January, when the Maduro government released a silent video showing him walking in a Venezuelan prison. Since then, there have been no new images or information about his health status.

The uncertainty deepened over the months, leading his loved ones to demand urgent answers. The recent shift in foreign policy seems to open a new door, although the release still depends on multiple factors in a volatile regional scenario.