Criticism of Biden for releasing Maduro regime's 'narco nephews' grows
"This is why terrorists and tyrants continue to take American hostages: they know they can get something in return from them," said Senator Marco Rubio.
Voz Media/ Cordon press y Flickr - Jeso Carneiro
Criticism of President Joe Biden continues to grow following the decision to release two nephews-in-law of dictator Nicolás Maduro who were serving sentences in the United States for drug trafficking in exchange for seven Americans imprisoned in Venezuela by the regime.
Senator Marco Rubio (R) called the swap "shameful," and noted that Biden released two convicted drug traffickers in exchange for the release of seven innocent Americans who were imprisoned by the Bolivarian regime as hostages.
For the senator, the move is another "appeasement" by Biden that will have consequences in the future, as more dictators will see the option of taking innocent American hostages to negotiate.
The role of the Venezuelan opposition
Carlos Vecchio, the Venezuelan interim government's ambassador to the United States, warned on the terrible precedent involved in pandering to the Maduro's dictatorship: "The release of narco nephews could set a precedent of impunity by giving incentives to Maduro's dictatorship (and others) to continue oppressing and committing crimes".
"Maduro has kidnapped U.S. citizens to then use them as barter chips.... An entire oppressed country and 244 political prisoners, victims of human rights violations, remain kidnapped by the dictatorship in Venezuela. Impunity will only increase repression against innocents. Their only hope for freedom is a political transition as soon as possible," added Juan Guaidó's representative in the country.
A negotiation with Venezuela
In December 2017, Efrain Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas were convicted by a New York judge for the crime of attempting to smuggle 800 kg of cocaine into the United States. The sentence was 216 months, or 18 years in prison.
The Venezuelan regime confirmed the news as part of a negotiation: "As a result of various conversations held since March 5 with representatives of the U.S. government, the release of two young Venezuelans unjustly imprisoned in that country has been achieved". He also noted the release "for humanitarian reasons" of a "group of Americans" detained in Venezuela.
As for the Americans released, they are five executives of Citgo , the U.S. company that was a subsidiary of the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). The senior executives were sentenced to between eight and 13 years in prison in Venezuela for "embezzlement", Maduro accused them of "treason for stealing PDVSA dollars". All of the detained Americans have pleaded not guilty and the State Department has deemed them to be unjustly detained.
"Today, after years of being unjustly detained in Venezuela, we bring home Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, José Luis Zambrano, José Pereira, Matthew Heath and Osman Khan.... These individuals will soon be reunited with their families and will be in the arms of their loved ones, which is where they belong, said President Joe Biden in a statement.
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