American freed in Venezuela assures that his "nightmare" ended

One of the two US citizens released from police custody in Venezuela said Wednesday that his family's nightmare was over and that his five companions who remain in detention "deserve the same blessings."

In a statement to The Associated Press news agency, Gustavo Cárdenas expressed his happiness at being home after being imprisoned for more than four years, a situation that, he said, "has caused a lot of suffering and pain, much more than that I can explain with my words".

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Cárdenas added that he is also praying for his five colleagues from the Citgo oil company – a company affiliated with the Venezuelan parastatal PDVSA – who were not released and also thanked US officials for the efforts they made.

Gustavo Cárdenas, one of the six oil executives imprisoned in Venezuela, accompanied by his son Sergio, at his home in Houston on Wednesday, March 9.Maria Elena Cardenas / AP

The Venezuelan regime released the two Americans as it seeks to improve its relations with the Biden Administration, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Cárdenas was released after a secret visit by top US government officials to Venezuela over the weekend, the White House's first trip to the country in more than two decades

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The men are now in their respective homes in the United States, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday morning.

"I am happy and very grateful to God and to all the people who helped make this possible...

," said María Elena Cárdenas, wife of Gustavo Cárdenas, who spoke with Daniel Garrido, Telemundo News correspondent in Venezuela.

Jorge Alberto Fernández was also released on Tuesday, captured in February 2021 near the border with Colombia after being found in possession of a drone, the use of which is restricted in Venezuela.

The negotiations

The release came hours after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled interest in improving relations with the United States at a time of mounting concern over oil prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The result of the negotiations came after months of rapprochement with the participation of Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy of the Administration for Hostage Affairs.

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As described by The Associated Press, Carstens made a trip to Venezuela in December that did not immediately result in the release of the detainees, but to which senior Biden administration officials attributed

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Then, he returned to Venezuela last weekend with other officials, including Juan González, director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere, and Ambassador James Story, who heads the US Government's Venezuelan Affairs Unit from Colombia. .

Senior officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, declined to say how Cárdenas and Fernández were selected for release from among the nearly 10 US detainees in Venezuela.

But they said Carstens pushed hard for the release of all of them and that the possibility of additional releases remains.

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Cárdenas and five other Citgo executives

when they were captured by masked security agents while at a meeting in Caracas.

They had been invited to Venezuela to attend a meeting at the PDVSA headquarters.

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They were convicted on charges stemming from a never-executed plan to refinance some $4 billion in Citgo bonds by offering a 50% stake in the company as collateral.

Prosecutors accused the men of maneuvering to benefit from the proposed deal.

The United States Government.

pressed for their release, calling them detainees without a fair trial.

"Let's see when this will stop."

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In addition to the other oil executives still in custody, other Americans remain detained in Venezuela.

These are the two former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, who were arrested for their participation in a confusing plot to overthrow Maduro, and former Marine Matthew Heath, arrested on weapons charges.

Gonzalo Himiob, lawyer and vice president director of Foro Penal, said in a statement that the end of arbitrary detention must be celebrated, but he warned of the consequences that this agreement could have.

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“The release of any political prisoner, when it arises from an agreement between political actors, and not from respect for the law,

nor valid, but rather political and, consequently, arbitrary and contrary to human rights,” Himiob said.

The approach of the US to Maduro

The Biden Administration described it as the first visit to Venezuela by a White House official since Hugo Chávez led the country in the late 1990s, and as an opportunity to discuss political issues with the Chavista government.

The rapprochement occurs after three years of the rupture of relations and the recognition of opposition politician Juan Guaidó as the legitimate president of Venezuela.

But Biden has been pressured to review the "maximum pressure" campaign he inherited from the Trump administration to unseat Maduro, which has so far failed to bear fruit.

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The drive to dialogue with the Venezuelan president, who has been sanctioned and is indicted in New York on drug charges, took on greater urgency after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and subsequent US sanctions, something that could change relations between the countries.

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and it is believed that its re-entry into US energy markets could mitigate the repercussions for consumers of the Russian oil embargo.

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For its part, the US-backed faction of the Venezuelan opposition insisted on Wednesday that it remains open to resuming negotiations with Maduro.

with the aim of scheduling free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections and assured that any relief from economic sanctions must be accompanied by progress towards democracy.

"The lifting of any measure of pressure, if not geared towards democratization, would only strengthen the authoritarianism that threatens the world today," the group said in a statement.