San Salvador: El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has called on his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro to agree to a humanitarian prisoner exchange. "I want to propose a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and handover of an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners you are holding," Bukele said Sunday on X, highlighting Maduro's repeated calls for Venezuelans to return home freely.
According to Anadolu Agency, Bukele emphasized that those detained in El Salvador were apprehended for criminal activity. "Unlike you, who holds political prisoners, we do not have political prisoners. All the Venezuelans we have in custody were detained as part of an operation against gangs like the Tren de Aragua in the US," he added.
Bukele pointed out the differences between the detainees in El Salvador and the political prisoners in Venezuela. "Unlike our detainees -- many of whom have committed murder, others rape, and some who had even been arrested multiple times before being deported -- your political prisoners have committed no crime. The only reason they are imprisoned is for opposing you and your electoral frauds," he wrote. He named several individuals he believes to be unjustly imprisoned, including Rafael Tudares, Roland Carreno, Rocio San Miguel, and Corina Parisca de Machado.
In addition to the proposed exchange, Bukele called for the release of four opposition leaders currently seeking asylum in the Argentine Embassy in Caracas, along with nearly 50 foreign nationals held in Venezuelan prisons. "Our foreign ministry will send the formal correspondence," Bukele concluded, adding a blessing for the people of Venezuela.
The proposal comes amid increasing international pressure on Maduro's government to release political prisoners ahead of Venezuela's upcoming presidential elections. Human rights organizations estimate that thousands of opposition figures, journalists, and activists remain incarcerated under what they describe as politically motivated charges.