Frenchman Camilo Castro detained in Venezuela since June has been released, Emmanuel Macron announced

The yoga teacher disappeared at the Paraguachon border post, which separates Venezuela from Colombia, where he lived. He had gone there to renew a Colombian residence visa that had expired, according to his family.

He was finally free. Frenchman Camilo Castro, detained in Venezuela since late June, has been released, Emmanuel Macron said on the X social network, Sunday 16 November. “I share my relief with his loved ones and thank everyone who worked for his release.”the French head of state confirmed that “France sometimes advanced quietly, but always with determination and calm”.

The head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot, also reacted to X. Camilo Castro “Now safe, on the plane that took him back to France. It was an honor for our diplomacy to free him from prison.”

The 41-year-old yoga teacher disappeared on June 26 at the Paraguachon border post, which separates Venezuela from Colombia, where she lived. He had gone there to renew a Colombian residence visa that had expired, his family explained in August. In mid-September, his mother admitted that she had no longer heard from him, except for an audio message received at the end of July, in which Camilo Castro had “call for help”.

According to research by his relatives and Amnesty International, he was detained by Venezuelan authorities. In a report published in mid-July, the NGO criticized the policy “forced disappearance” carried out since the re-election of Nicolas Maduro against his opponents and foreign nationals. “Venezuelan authorities appear to be using this practice to justify their narrative of a ‘foreign conspiracy’ and as a bargaining chip in negotiations with other countries.”