Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP / Getty Images
Venezuela has agreed to release ten American prisoners in exchange for the release of Alex Saab, a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro.
Saab is being held in the U.S. on money laundering charges.
The freed Americans included six who were wrongfully detained, including Eyvin Hernandez, Jerrel Kenemore, Joseph Cristella, and Savoi Wright.
Two former Green Berets, Luke Denman and Airan Berry, were also released. They were sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2020 for their alleged roles in a failed coup attempt.
As part of the deal, Venezuela also agreed to extradite Leonard Francis to the United States. Francis fled to Venezuela in 2022, weeks before he was set to be sentenced for orchestrating one of the biggest bribery scandals in the history of the U.S. Navy.
"We are ensuring that the Venezuelan regime meets its commitments," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "They have announced an electoral roadmap – agreed to by opposition parties – for competitive Presidential elections in 2024. This is a positive and important step forward. And today, they are releasing twenty political prisoners, on top of five released previously. We will continue to monitor this closely and take appropriate action if needed. We stand in support of democracy in Venezuela and the aspirations of the Venezuelan people."