The Argentine gendarme, kidnapped for 448 days in Venezuela, reported torture for the first time and demanded justice after his release under the management of Javier Milei's government.
Gallo was arrested on December 8, 2024 at the border crossing in San Antonio del Táchira, when entering from Colombia, and was held incommunicado in the Rodeo I detention center, on the outskirts of Caracas, for almost 15 months. His release took place after international efforts, in a case that the Argentine government maintained as a diplomatic priority
Amid growing international tensions and persistent complaints about human rights violations in Venezuela, Argentinian gendarme Nahuel Gallo reappeared publicly with direct testimony that refocuses on the situation within that country. Through a message released on the social network X, the officer recounted for the first time what he experienced during his arrest, in a statement that quickly generated political and media impact
.“Today I took a step that cost me a lot: for the first time I told what I experienced in Venezuela since December 8, 2024. Going back to those moments hurts. Reviving them is not easy. But there is something stronger than fear: truth. And the truth is that this cannot continue to happen,” he said. In his publication, Gallo was forceful in describing his experience: “The Venezuelan regime does torture, and it continues to do so. It's not a speech, it's a reality that many of us have experienced.”
The gendarme, who was deprived of his freedom 448 days, also reaffirmed his innocence and raised a collective demand: “Today, with my head held high, I say this without fear: I am innocent, I always was. And this is my time to demand justice. For me. For my family. For all the foreigners we went through that hell. And for every Venezuelan who is still suffering in silence. Because while many are silent, others are still in prison, they are still victims, they are still waiting. Justice and Freedom”.
The message marks a turning point compared to his first public appearances after regaining his freedom, when he had opted for silence and caution when referring to his experience. At the time, he had even warned: “I don't want to tell the things and the atrocities they did. I can't yet, I don't feel ready.”
Less than a month ago, back in the country, he was welcomed to the Casa Rosada by President Javier Milei, who assured him that the libertarian administration “never abandoned the fight” for his liberation and that the defense took place “in all spheres”, despite the complexity of the relationship with the Nicolás Maduro regime, which considers
Argentina an “enemy” country.The meeting was attended by the Minister of National Security, Alejandra Monteoliva; the foreign minister, Pablo Quirno; the head of the ruling Senate block, Patricia Bullrich; and the national director of the Gendarmerie, Claudio Miguel Brilloni.
The case continues to have repercussions on the international agenda, where the Argentine Government is actively demanding the release of Germán Giuliani, identified as the last Argentine still detained in Venezuela.
