“He has to return home safely”: wife of Argentine gendarme detained in Venezuela

The Argentine government has denounced Venezuela before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the “arbitrary detention and forced disappearance” of Nahuel Gallo, an Argentine gendarme accused of “terrorism” by the Venezuelan prosecutor’s office.

This case, described by Argentina as a “serious and flagrant violation of human rights”, has further strained diplomatic relations between both countries, according to the AFP agency. Aware of the situation, his wife María Alejandra Gómez spoke with Caracol News live
and described the ordeal his family has faced since his arrest.

Nahuel Gallo, first corporal of the Argentine National Gendarmerie (GNA), He was arrested on December 8 in Venezuela after entering from Colombia to visit his partner and their son, who turns two this month. According to the Argentine authorities, his capture and subsequent accusation of “conspiracy” and “criminal association” lack legal foundations, which led the Argentine Foreign Ministry to present a formal complaint to the ICC based in The Hague.

In a statement, the Argentine government stated that this case “evidences a systematic pattern of crimes against humanity in Venezuela, under the jurisdiction of the ICC.” For his part, the Venezuelan attorney general, Tarek William Saab assured that Gallo intended to carry out “destabilizing and terrorist actions”, hiding behind a “sentimental visit.”

(Also read: Venezuelan opposition says that Edmundo González will consolidate commitment in the face of “taking over”)

His wife says he was arbitrarily detained

Faced with his arrest, his wife expressed in the exclusive interview that, “For us it has been totally arbitrary, since Nahuel entered Venezuela in a completely legal manner; he was not entering the country as a gendarme, nor as a police officer, nor as a military man, he was not dressed in green. He came to visit his family and had to spend Christmas with us because we have been in Venezuela for seven months,” Gómez explained.

With obvious pain, he denounced the way in which the dissemination of images and videos of Gallo in a prisoner’s uniform was handled: “We had not heard from him for 25 days and we found out from some photos that they spread illegally and coldly. They used social networks to spread something as important as a person’s health and they did not tell us first, who are their family. “It’s still painful, unfair, everything they’re putting us through.”

“Until today we did not know if he was okay. We also have no idea of ​​the date of that video or photos, as proof of life. We want to listen to Nahuel, to know that he is okay,” Gómez said in the interview, expressing doubts about the authenticity of the disclosed material. “We have classified this as a forced disappearance, all of his rights have been violated, he is being charged with cases that to this day there is no evidence that he has done that,” he added.

Caracol News live

There is a diplomatic crisis between Venezuela and Argentina

The case of Nahuel Gallo occurs in a context of broken diplomatic relations between Argentina and Venezuela. Since Argentine President Javier Milei denied the re-election of Nicolás Maduro in July 2024, ties between both countries have deteriorated. Currently, the Argentine embassy in Caracas is under the custody of Brazil and has served as a refuge for collaborators of the Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado, accused of terrorism.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil dismissed the Argentine complaint, calling it a “painful spectacle” and accusing Milei’s government of promoting an “extreme right-wing coup and terrorist agenda against Venezuela.” Despite this, the Argentine Foreign Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to taking Gallo’s case to all necessary international bodies. He has also requested precautionary measures before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), arguing that there is an “imminent risk to the life and integrity” of the gendarme.

The gendarme’s family cries out for justice

María Alejandra Gómez emphasized her discontent with the accusations against her husband, stating that, “At no time has he committed those crimes of which he is accused. He came for family issues.” He added that he is confident that “the truth has to prevail” and called for Gallo’s immediate release.

“We request their immediate release, that they do not continue with this mockery they are making of us. The way they spread it is an unacceptable mockery. Nahuel has to return safely to our house,” he noted in the interview.

Does she fear for Nahuel’s life?

“There will always be that fear, that anguish. We trust that things have to be done well, we are believers and I know that things will be in our favor. The only thing we have of him are those photos, they don’t tell us if he is in good health or if he is eating, they only tell us that he is there,” Gómez said in the interview.

“We have many questions and few answers. The truth has to prevail, because evil is being done against our family,” he concluded.

Argentine gendarme is in a “serious situation” in Venezuela

The Argentine gendarme Nahuel Agustín Gallo, detained upon entering Venezuela from Colombia, “is in a serious and urgent situation,” the IACHR warned this Friday, who demands from Caracas information about his whereabouts and that he be able to speak with his family. “Their rights to life and personal integrity face a risk of irreparable harm in Venezuela,” the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights added in a statement.

The first corporal of the Argentine national gendarmerie was arrested on December 8 at the Francisco de Paula Santander International Bridge when he was preparing to visit his Venezuelan partner and two-year-old son. His lawyers do not know his whereabouts and were told that “the complaint for his disappearance would not proceed,” the statement said.

According to the IACHR, “senior Venezuelan state officials” have declared that the gendarme “is detained,” without specifying the file number, which court is handling the case, whether he has received necessary medical attention and the exact place where he would be. This body of the Organization of American States (OAS) denounces that no measures have been taken “to guarantee communication between Nahuel Gallo and the country of which he is a national” and “there is no internal possibility of requesting protection” for he.

Argentina asks Venezuela to protect the gendarme

The IACHR demands that the Maduro government allow the gendarme to contact Argentina, “with his family and trusted legal representatives.” He also calls on the Chavista leader to take measures “to protect the rights to life and personal integrity” of the gendarme.

He asks you to report where you are, if you appeared in court and if you have been charged with crimes. On Thursday, an official Venezuelan source shared photos and videos of Gallo in a prison uniform, walking across a sports field. “Life certificate of gendarme Gallo. Day: January 2, 2025,” the source told AFP, who reiterated that he is in Caracas without specifying the detention center.

On Saturday, Venezuelan opponent Edmundo González Urrutia, who claims to have won the elections, will meet with Milei in Buenos Aires. Venezuelan authorities offer a reward of $100,000 for information leading to the capture of this opponent who went into exile in Spain in September and has promised to return to his country to “take office” on January 10 in place of Maduro.