El Salvador’s president proposes to replace our eliminated Venezuelans with Maduro’s “political prisoners” with | El Salvador
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, proposed sending 252 Venezuelans to expel the United States and imprisoning Venezuela in his country in exchange for “political prisoners” held by Venezuela.
On Sunday, Bucker asked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to hand over 252 “political prisoners you hold” under his proposed agreement.
El Salvador leaders did not say whether the prisoners were imprisoned again after the exchange.
Venezuela’s chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab said Buckley’s proposal was cynical and accused El Salvador of illegal detention of 252 Venezuela. Saab asks to know whether the detainee is charged with whether the crime, whether it appears before a judge, can access the legal counsel or is allowed to contact his family. Saab’s office called Bukele a “neofascist” in a statement, adding: “The treatment of Venezuelans in the United States and El Salvador constitutes a serious violation of international human rights law and a crime against humanity.”
Among the Buckley people proposed to be released in Venezuela are journalist Roland Carreno, human rights lawyer Rocio San Miguel and Corina Parisca de Machado, mother of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
He also mentioned nearly 50 detainees of other nationalities, including U.S., German and French citizens, as part of the proposed exchange.
Adam Boehler, the U.S. envoy for the U.S. hostage reaction, posted the move online and said 10 Americans proposed to communicate.
Bucker said his foreign ministry will formally submit proposals to the Venezuelan government through diplomatic channels.
In March, the Trump administration deported at least 200 Venezuelans from the United States to El Salvador, accusing them of being members of the Tren de Alagya criminal gang. The United States will pay El Salvador $6 million to detain it in its high security terrorism lockdown center, known as Cecot.
The Venezuelan government said it has no political prisoners and that those who are imprisoned have been convicted of crimes. However, NGOs claim that more than 800 people were detained for political reasons.
The Venezuelan government denies that Venezuelans deported by the United States have gang affiliation. The detainee’s lawyers and family also asserted that the immigration has no connection to the criminal group.
On Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting another batch of Venezuelan immigrants who were accused of gang contacts under rarely used wartime laws. The court issued a moratorium after the American Civil Liberties Union asked for urgent intervention.
The Trump administration urges the Supreme Court to reject the American Civil Liberties Association’s request. White House officials said the president remains committed to his immigration crackdown, but there is no indication that the administration will violate the court’s ruling.
