Argentine Held in Venezuela Details Illegal Arrest & Political Captivity
- Caracas/Buenos Aires – Gustavo Gabriel Rivara, the Argentine writer released from Venezuelan detention on February 2nd, has detailed his arrest and imprisonment, describing a system where foreigners are...
- Rivara, speaking to Radio Rivadavia, recounted being apprehended at a bus station.
- His release came after more than a year in captivity, following a brief period of freedom after initially entering the country in December 2024 to participate in demonstrations...
Caracas/Buenos Aires – Gustavo Gabriel Rivara, the Argentine writer released from Venezuelan detention on , has detailed his arrest and imprisonment, describing a system where foreigners are routinely detained and used as bargaining chips in political negotiations. Rivara’s account sheds light on the conditions within El Helicoide, a notorious Caracas prison and the broader context of political repression in Venezuela.
Rivara, speaking to Radio Rivadavia, recounted being apprehended at a bus station. “You don’t need reasons to be arrested in Venezuela,” he stated. “All foreigners the police picked up were presented to the SEBIN [Bolivarian Intelligence Service] and detained. Then they are used as currency, as a form of blackmail with countries, with governments.”
His release came after more than a year in captivity, following a brief period of freedom after initially entering the country in to participate in demonstrations organized by María Corina Machado after the contested elections. However, upon arriving in the capital, he found the opposition largely silenced. “I found Caracas where all the opposition members were arrested, exiled, there was absolutely no one in the street; everyone was afraid,” he said.
Rivara was ultimately arrested in the city of Barinas while traveling back towards Colombia. He described El Helicoide as a profoundly disheartening place. “It’s a really sad place for everyone,” he said. “Seeing women detained with their children, separated from their families, all innocent people, without due process. You only console yourself with the thought that there are others who did less than you to be there.”
In the months leading up to his release, Rivara’s conditions deteriorated. He was held in complete isolation in a small room, deprived of television and any contact with the outside world. To pass the time, he wrote and read, acknowledging the psychological toll of his confinement. “I don’t know what’s worse,” he said. “They told me to pretend I was in Guantánamo. I was the only foreigner in El Helicoide, only Colombian guerrillas, a couple of quite famous and heavy drug traffickers.”
Rivara also alleged a complete lack of due process. He waited ten months for his first appearance before a judge, who accused him of “treason against the homeland” – a charge he dismissed as absurd. “It was something of five minutes, ridiculous, what homeland, what treason? As if I had sworn allegiance to Venezuela,” he questioned.
His eventual release was linked to the extraordinary events of , when Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was detained by U.S. Military forces and transported to New York. This intervention, which shocked the international community, triggered a broader release of Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. According to reports, the process began in early January.
Rivara’s case is one of several involving Argentine nationals detained in Venezuela. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno has demanded the immediate release of Nahuel Gallo, a military police officer arrested in while attempting to enter Venezuela from Colombia, and Germán Giulani. Roberto Baldo also remains detained, though he was not specifically mentioned by Quirno in his recent statement.
The situation highlights the ongoing tensions between Argentina and Venezuela, and the broader geopolitical implications of the recent political upheaval in Caracas. An Argentine court recently rejected a request by Justo José Noguera Pietri, a former commander of Venezuela’s national guard, to dismiss charges against him, signaling a continued pursuit of justice for alleged abuses under the Maduro regime.
The release of Rivara, while a positive development, does not resolve the plight of the remaining Argentine detainees. The Milei administration continues to press for their freedom, amid a complex and evolving political landscape in Venezuela. Rivara himself expressed a deep fear of being forgotten during his imprisonment, stating, “I never thought I would get out. I thought I would die in jail.”