The US releases President Maduro’s family in Venezuela prisoner swap  

• According to US officials, the trade involved five American oil executives.
• Two men jailed in the US “unjustly,” according to Venezuela, have been released.
• A group of US individuals was released, it was said, for “humanitarian grounds.

The two nations have announced that in exchange for the release of two relatives of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela released seven imprisoned Americans.

According to US officials, the trade involved five American oil executives.

Two of Mr. Maduro’s wife’s nephews, who were serving 18-year sentences in the US for narcotics offenses, were swapped for the Americans, according to the officials.

Two men jailed in the US “unjustly,” according to Venezuela, have been released. A group of US individuals was released, it was said, for “humanitarian grounds.”

US sources reported that in addition to US Marine veteran Matthew Heath and another American named Osman Khan, the transaction also involved executives from Venezuela’s US-based oil corporation, Citgo.

After being called to a meeting in Caracas and being accused of terrorism, the oil executives Tomeu Vadell, Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, and Jose Pereira were imprisoned five years ago.

The “wrongfully held” Americans would soon be reunited with their relatives, according to President Joe Biden in a statement.

“We are happy that seven families will be reunited today. Know that we are still committed to securing the release of all the families who are currently suffering while being separated from their loved ones who are unjustly jailed “he added.

Mr. Biden promised to free the two nephews of Cilia Flores, the first lady of Venezuela, in return for their freedom.

After being detained in Haiti in 2015, Franqui Flores and Efrain Antonio Campo Flores were transported to New York, where they were found guilty of cocaine offenses.

According to a statement from the Venezuelan administration, “the release of two young Venezuelans wrongfully imprisoned in that country has been secured.”

According to a US official, the exchange took place at an airport in an unnamed third country. The US has long charged Mr. Maduro with running a left-wing dictatorship.

However, the Biden administration has dispatched envoys to restart communication with Venezuela. Critics assert that the invasion of Ukraine and the US goal to lessen reliance on Russian energy were the driving forces for the change in policy.

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