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which broke relations with Venezuela after not recognizing the elections that confirmed Nicolás Maduro, had withdrawn its diplomatic staff from Caracas.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.
