El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, proposed a prisoner exchange with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, on Sunday, aiming to repatriate Venezuelan deportees from the U.S. in exchange for “political prisoners” held in the South American country.
What Happened: Bukele addressed Maduro, stating his willingness to repatriate 252 Venezuelan deportees. In return, he asked for the release of an equal number of political prisoners held in Venezuela.
“Unlike you, who have political prisoners, we don’t have political prisoners,” Bukele said. “All the Venezuelans we have in custody were detained as part of an operation against gangs like the Tren de Aragua in the United States.”
Among individuals Bukele suggested being released from Venezuela were activist lawyer Rocío San Miguel and journalist Roland Carreño, actions against whom have drawn criticism from groups like Amnesty International. Bukele also mentioned nearly 50 detained citizens of other nationalities, including Americans, Germans, and Dominicans, among others.
Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, criticized Bukele’s proposal and accused El Salvador of “arbitrarily” detaining Venezuelans in a state of “enforced disappearance in a concentration camp,” according to Venezuela’s news network Globovisión.
He also sought to know what offenses the detainees were charged with, if they had access to legal recourse, and if they had been permitted to speak to anybody since their detention.
Why It Matters: This proposal comes amid escalating tensions over the deportation of individuals accused of committing violent crimes by the Donald Trump administration.
Notably, in response to requests from lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stopped the deportation of a group of Venezuelan migrants on Saturday, according to Reuters.
Trump has appreciated Bukele for accepting custody of deportees whom the U.S. has alleged are gang members.
However, controversy erupted soon over Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident deported to El Salvador due to an “administrative error.” The Supreme Court backed a lower court ruling for officials to assist in the return of Garcia
According to Amnesty International, El Salvador's prison system is notorious for widespread human rights violations, violence, and overcrowding.
El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin BTC/USD as its legal tender in 2021, and it has since pursued an ambitious strategy to integrate the digital asset into the various aspects of its citizens’ lives.
Photo Courtesy: Joey Sussman on Shutterstock.com
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