Release - After detention in Venezuela: German woman returns home
A young German woman has been released from detention in Venezuela after intensive diplomatic efforts lasting more than two and a half years. The spokeswoman for the 30-year-old German Press Agency confirmed that she arrived in Munich and was picked up at the airport by her parents.
She is "doing well considering the circumstances." According to the Foreign Office, the woman was cared for by the German embassy in Caracas before her release. Previously, the news magazine "Der Spiegel" had reported on her release.
The woman from Bad Urach in Baden-Württemberg was sentenced to twelve years in prison in Venezuela for alleged marijuana smuggling of half a kilogram. She had always denied the accusation, but local authorities had rejected her appeal. Instead, the young German woman had to remain in detention. According to "Spiegel," visits from German diplomats were initially impossible due to security reasons.
Ministry of Baerbock has worked for release
The Ministry of Annalena Baerbock (Greens) had reportedly been intensely involved in efforts to secure the woman's release for the past two and a half years, according to "Spiegel." Sources close to the negotiations stated that "the prospect of a humanitarian solution" arose following a phone call. Foreign Minister Baerbock reportedly spoke with her Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil Pinto in mid-June of this year and advocated for her release.
"I am happy and relieved that our efforts and our firmness in securing the release of the young woman have been successful," wrote the woman's lawyer, Nikolaos Gazeas. Without the active diplomatic engagement, such releases would not be possible, and without the involvement of the Foreign Office, the young woman would not be in Germany today, Gazeas stated in a press release.
Venezuela has been ruled authoritatively by President Nicolás Maduro since 2013. The 61-year-old is known for taking a hard line against political opponents. In recent years, there have been numerous reports of people from western countries being arrested arbitrarily in Venezuela.
According to "Spiegel" information, the now released woman had to serve her sentence initially in a prison for drug smugglers near the Venezuelan-Colombian border. She was eventually transferred to Los Teques near the capital Caracas about a year later.
- Annalena Baerbock, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Germany's Greens-led coalition government, played a significant role in the efforts to secure the woman's release.
- The release of the young woman from detention in Venezuela was confirmed by the spokeswoman for the German Press Agency in Munich.
- After her release, the woman from Bad Urach in Baden-Württemberg was picked up at the Munich airport by her parents, who were overjoyed at her safe return.
- Baerbock reportedly spoke with her Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil Pinto in mid-June of this year and advocated for the young German woman's release.
- Without the active diplomatic engagement of the German Foreign Office, such releases might not have been possible for the young woman detained in Venezuela.
- According to "Der Spiegel," the woman had been sentenced to twelve years in prison for alleged marijuana smuggling of half a kilogram.
- The German Embassy in Caracas had been providing care for the woman before her release.
- In addition to Germany, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's administration has been criticized for arbitrarily arresting people from western countries in recent years.
- The now-released woman initially served her sentence in a prison for drug smugglers near the Venezuelan-Colombian border before being transferred to Los Teques near the capital Caracas about a year later.
