US and Venezuela exchange prisoners as tensions ease

The United States has exchanged prisoner Alex Saab, an associate of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, for ten American citizens and a fugitive nicknamed “Fat Leonard” from Venezuelan prisons. The exchange took place as part of a large-scale deal between the United States and Venezuela.

According to Agence France-Presse, citing the words of a senior American official, President Joe Biden made an “extremely difficult decision” to release Alex Saab, a former Maduro confidant. In the United States, he was accused of laundering money for Caracas.

In return, Venezuela handed over a fugitive named Leonard Francis, who was at the center of the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the US Navy, as well as ten US citizens. In addition, the country’s authorities released twenty Venezuelan political prisoners from custody.

Washington is easing pressure on Caracas as Venezuela moves toward democracy. In October, the United States agreed to ease oil and gas sanctions against Venezuela.

Biden, who was criticized this year for the prisoner swap with Iran, defended the Venezuela deal and denied it could encourage other governments to detain U.S. citizens.

“We are releasing Americans, people who are being held illegally, and we have an agreement with Venezuela that they will hold free elections,” he told reporters at the White House.

The deal was brokered by Qatari authorities, officials added.

Venezuelan President Maduro hailed Saab’s release as a “triumph of truth.” The ex-prisoner’s arrival home was shown live on local television. Saab, who spoke at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas alongside Maduro, thanked the Venezuelan leader and said that “today the miracle of freedom, the miracle of justice has become a reality.”

The White House named the four freed Americans: Joseph Cristella, Eivin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore and Savoy Wright. Also among those released are former US soldiers Luke Alexander Denman and Airan Berry, who were sentenced to 20 years for a failed armed invasion of Venezuela in 2020, a Venezuelan human rights group said.