US And Venezuela Reach Prisoner Exchange Deal

Ten Americans who had been jailed in Venezuela will touch down on American soil Wednesday night following a deal between the Biden administration and the Venezuelan government to release an ally of President Nicolás Maduro in exchange for the U.S. citizens, a senior administration official said.

The Maduro ally being released, Alex Saab, is a Colombian businessman who was arrested in 2020 for his alleged role in a money laundering scheme involving the bribery of Venezuelan government officials and $350 million in Venezuelan assets.

Six of the Americans, the State Department said, were being wrongfully detained. They include Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, Joseph Cristella and Savoi Wright. The other 2 Americans wrongfully detained were not named, for privacy reasons.

The agreement also requires the Maduro government to release 20 Venezuelan political prisoners. Maduro must also release opposition party member Roberto Abdul, and suspend the arrest warrants for three other Venezuelans. U.S. sanctions on Venezuela were relaxed in October in exchange for progress toward free and fair elections.

As a caveat to the agreement, the Biden administration threatened to pull back its sanctions relief if Venezuela did not release both American and Venezuelan political prisoners. Qatar facilitated the conversations between Maduro authorities and the Biden administration.