Seven American prisoners in Venezuela are freed in swap, Biden says

Seven U.S. citizens imprisoned in Venezuela are free and returning home, President Joe Biden said on Saturday, a major breakthrough in U.S. government efforts to free Americans wrongfully detained abroad.

Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano, Jose Pereira, Matthew Heath, and Osman Khan were let go by the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro, Biden administration officials said.

In exchange, the president agreed to free Efraín Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas, two nephews of Maduro who were convicted on drug charges in the United States, senior administration officials said.

Some of the freed Americans had been in Venezuelan custody for months, while others were imprisoned for years. Heath, a former U.S. Marine, had attempted suicide, while Khan, a recent college graduate, reported being tortured and experiencing seizures.

The remaining five members of the “Citgo 6” — a group of oil executives who had been detained for years — were also freed.

U.S. officials have been lobbying for their release for over a year, with a senior delegation of Biden officials traveling to Caracas in March and again in June to secure their release.

Two Americans held by Caracas were previously freed under the Biden administration after the March visit, including one “Citgo 6” member.

A senior administration official said that Biden has spoken with each of the freed Americans.

“These individuals will soon be reunited with their families and back in the arms of their loved ones where they belong,” Biden said in a statement. “I am grateful for the hard work of dedicated public servants across the U.S. Government who made this possible, and who continue to deliver on my Administration’s unflinching commitment to keep faith with Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained all around the world.”

The State Department has warned Americans traveling to Venezuela — or to its border region in Colombia — that they face a heightened risk of kidnapping.

The seven Americans freed on Saturday account for all of the U.S. citizens officially categorized as wrongfully detained abroad. But at least four U.S. citizens are believed to remain in Venezuelan custody.

“To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained — know that we remain dedicated to securing their release,” Biden said.

VENEZUELAN COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Opposition leaders and members of the Venezuelan community in Miami were shocked and expressed anger upon hearing the news.

The nephews of the first lady of Venezuela, Cilia Flores, had barely served a third of the sentence they received for trying to import 800 kg of cocaine to the U.S. Flores de Freitas, 36, and his cousin Campos Flores, 35, were arrested in Haiti in 2015 by the DEA, which carried out undercover operations in Venezuela and Honduras to capture them.

“This has staggering political overtones. These are a son-in-law and a nephew of none other than Nicolás Maduro, who not only is a declared enemy of the US government, but who also has a $15 million reward issued against him for drug trafficking,” said Diego Arria, former Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations.

Arria, a former presidential candidate and influential leader of the opposition, also said the move creates a dangerous precedent.

“Now any American present in Venezuela can be arrested tomorrow or the day after, charged with any false claim and used as a bargaining chip in negotiations for any Venezuelan that has been arrested or been charged in the United States,” he said.

Ernesto Ackerman, president of the Independent Venezuelan American Citizens, said from Miami that he disapproved of the move. “You cannot negotiate with drug traffickers,” Ackerman said. “Those people don’t have a sense of morality; they don’t follow rules and they don’t keep their word. They are criminals, and what you are doing with this is making it very dangerous for any American to travel to Venezuela.”

Others said the move was a costly geopolitical mistake.

“This is a great sign of weakness transmitted by the administration to the Maduro regime,” said José Colina, president of the Politically Persecuted Venezuelans in Exile Organization (VEPPEX). “It provides a severe blow against the Venezuleans’ attempt to recover their democracy, because by doing this, the U.S. administration is recognizing the Maduro regime as the legitimate government of Venezuela.”

Biden administration officials said the decision to release Maduro’s nephew was “painful,” but a rare choice before a president who has worked to prevent future wrongful detentions by increasing sanctions on the perpetrators and increasing public awareness of the risks.

The Richardson Center, an independent group that works to free Americans detained abroad founded by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, said that today is a moment “to celebrate and rejoice.”

“For some of them, it has been almost 5 years,” Richardson said in a statement. “Matthew Heath’s attempted suicide four months ago was a reminder of the urgency in bringing our wrongful-detainees home from all countries they are being held in.”

“Whether it is suicide, heart attack or physical altercation, these individuals are in constant imminent danger, and the illusion that we have time is dangerous,” Richardson said. “We are grateful some of our prisoners from Venezuela are heading home, but we urge the Biden administration to work decisively and with urgency to bring all other wrongful-detainees back to their families.”