Italian Nationals Freed After 423 Days in Caracas Jail
Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, announced on Monday that Venezuela has released two Italian nationals, Alberto Trentini and Mario Burlò, from prison. The news was met with “joy and satisfaction” by Meloni, who stated that a plane was on its way from Rome to repatriate the two Italians, who are now safely at the Italian embassy in Caracas.
Trentini, a 46-year-old aid worker from Venice, was arrested in Venezuela in November 2024 while working for the NGO Humanity and Inclusion, which helps disabled people. He was held at the El Rodeo maximum-security jail in Caracas despite not having any formal charges pressed against him. On the other hand, Turin entrepreneur Mario Burlò, 52, had been held for more than a year in the same prison. He was arrested for no clear reason after going to Venezuela in 2024 to explore new business opportunities, according to news agency ANSA.
Release of Prisoners a Gesture of Goodwill
In her statement, Meloni expressed her “heartfelt thanks” to authorities in Venezuela, starting from interim president Delcy Rodriguez, “for the constructive cooperation” shown in recent days. The release of Trentini and Burlò comes after Venezuela released Italian-Venezuelan politician and journalist Biagio Pilieri, 60, and Italian businessman Luigi Gasperin, 77, last week. Pilieri had been in jail for 16 months, while Gasperin was imprisoned since August. Venezuela’s government on Thursday pledged to release “a significant number” of prisoners, including foreign nationals, in what it described as a gesture of goodwill.
The move comes after the US attacked Venezuela and captured its president, Nicolas Maduro, with US president Donald Trump claiming that the release of prisoners detained for political reasons was at the request of Washington. The release of the Italian nationals is seen as a positive development in the relations between Italy and Venezuela. For more information on this story, visit Here