Gallo was arrested on December 8, 2024, at the Colombian-Venezuelan border. He was attempting to enter Caracas to reunite with his wife, María Alexandra Gómez, and his son. Since then, he has remained in El Rodeo prison, accused of alleged "terrorism and espionage", although his name doesn't appear in any official record of the penitentiary system.
Gómez —who managed to return to Argentina with her son with consular assistance— described the emotional impact her family is experiencing. "I tell Víctor that his father is working, that he'll come soon. He feels his absence," Gallo's wife said.
Victor, hijo de Nahuel, pregunta todos los días por su padre
"The only thing we have is uncertainty because we see what is happening in Venezuela and we don't know how Nahuel is," she added. Regarding the last time she saw him, she recalls a video call from Bogotá: "He was nervous, but happy because there was little time left before we would be together. That was the last image I have of him."
Last week she had a meeting with Patricia Bullrich, who told her that official efforts to secure the gendarme's release are ongoing. Still, Gómez admits the toll: "Today I feel bad, very broken. I'm frustrated that I haven't achieved his freedom after so much effort."
Days ago, Renzo Huamanchumo Castillo —a recently released Peruvian-American citizen— claimed to have shared space with Gallo in prison. According to his account, the Argentine sang the national anthem to stay strong and lived with another Argentine-Israeli detainee who requires daily medication.
Gómez acknowledges that the anniversary makes everything more painful: "I never thought we'd reach December 8. I don't want the 24th to come and for my son to spend another Christmas without his father. I need this to end now."
El gendarme no ve a su hijo hace un año.
A year has passed since the illegal detention of Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo in Venezuela. Javier Milei's government released an official statement in which it renewed its condemnation of Nicolás Maduro's regime and described the case as "a flagrant violation of international law".
The statement was jointly signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and theMinistry of Security. In it, the government insists that Gallo remains detained without any judicial guarantees, without access to his family, and in circumstances that constitute enforced disappearance. This constitutes a crime provided for and condemned by current international treaties.
According to the statement, since the beginning of the case Argentina has carried out multiple diplomatic efforts and formal complaints "in various international forums." Meanwhile, the government identified those responsible before the relevant organizations and maintained ongoing contact with the gendarme's family.
The statement concludes by assuring: "The Argentine Government will continue to support Nahuel Gallo's family members in this grim circumstance and will not cease its efforts for his release and his prompt return to our country."
Comunicado oficial del Gobierno
Actions before the IACHR, the ICC, and the United Nations
In the past year, the Milei administration has intensified international pressure on Venezuela. Among the actions highlighted are:
The request for urgent precautionary measures before the IACHR to protect the gendarme's life and integrity.
The presentation of the case before the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an episode of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance.
The complaint before the UN Human Rights Council, where Argentina exposed "a flagrant violation of Nahuel Gallo's human rights".
These interventions seek to compel the Venezuelan regime to report the detainee's whereabouts, provide guarantees regarding his detention conditions, and allow consular access, something Maduro has systematically denied.
A un año de la detención del gendarme argentino, Nahuel Gallo
