CNN Investigation: They used trumped up charges to try the Citgo 6 7:22
(CNN) --
President Joe Biden announced Saturday the return of seven Americans who he said were wrongfully detained in Venezuela for "years."
“Today, after years of being unjustly detained in Venezuela, we bring home Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano, Jose Pereira, Matthew Heath and Osman Khan.
These people will soon be reunited with their families and back in the arms of their loved ones, where they belong," the president said in a statement.
ANALYSIS |
Do the negotiations for the detained Americans slow down the fight for democracy in Venezuela?
Vadell, Toledo, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano and Pereira are five of the six US oil executives known as the “CITGO 6” arrested in Venezuela more than four years ago.
Two Americans who had been detained there, including one of the CITGO 6, were released in March following a visit by two top US government officials to Caracas.
Heath, a Navy veteran, was arrested in September 2020. Khan has been in custody since January 2022.
Biden said the seven Americans would be reunited with their families "soon" and thanked members of his administration working to secure their release.
“To all the families who are still suffering and separated from their loved ones who are wrongfully detained, please know that we remain dedicated to securing your release,” he said.
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The announcement comes months after a US government delegation quietly traveled to Venezuela in June "to discuss the well-being and safety of US citizens in Venezuela," a State Department spokesperson told CNN. at that moment.