An Irish citizen imprisoned in Venezuela has been freed and is now in Prague, following a flow of prisoner releases following the United States capture of Nicolas Maduro.
Alongside the Irish citizen, Venezuela freed Czech, Hungarian, Dutch and German citizens imprisoned in the country, according to a Reuters report.
A plane carrying the freed citizens landed at Prague airport, where family members waited for their arrival.
A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed to The Irish Times it is “aware of the case” involving the Irish citizen and “provided consular assistance to the citizen involved”.
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The department would not say anything further as it does not comment on individual cases.
The Czech man released had been detained in 2024 when Venezuelan authorities accused him of planning to take part in a plot to kill Mr Maduro, who was still in power as president at the time, and to overthrow the government, according to Czech media.
The Czech foreign ministry said last year that the man had been imprisoned “without charges and a fair trial”. Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal said he was detained for political reasons.
“After several weeks of intense negotiations, we managed to secure (his) release,” Petr Macinka, deputy prime minister for the Czech Republic, told a press conference, adding that his country was ready to renew diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Germany’s foreign minister Johann Wadephul said on X that the release of three Germans was a “gesture towards more constructive relations”.
Jorge Rodriguez, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, and US president Donald Trump had both said large numbers of prisoners would be released after the US captured Mr Maduro at the start of the year.
Venezuela said this week that more than 400 people have been released. Rights groups say the figure is smaller.
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