This Sunday night the Italian citizens were released in Venezuela Mario Burlò and Alberto Trentiniwho have been deprived of liberty since 2024.
The release comes after intense efforts by the UN-Vienna International Representative and ambassador of the International Organization of Diplomatic Relations (OIRD), Alberto Lopezas well as Italian diplomacy in constant conversations with Caracas.
“We thank all the people who made this release possible, which was an act of nobility and great empathy: the president Delcy Rodríguez, the president of the AN Jorge Rodríguez; the Farnesina, which is the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UN, the OIRD, and to the other Italian and Venezuelan actors who fought for this purpose“said Ambassador López in a press release after the release of both citizens was finalized.
Who are the Italians released in Venezuela?
Mario Burlò He is a businessman from Turin, director of several companies, who came to Venezuela to explore investment options. He was arrested in November 2024, and his lawyers have insisted that it was an arbitrary procedure, and that no formal charges of any kind were ever brought against him.
For his part, Alberto Trentini had been working in Venezuela since 2024 with the NGO Humanity & Inclusion. They arrested him while traveling from Caracas to Guasdualito and He was deprived of liberty for 423 days.
The news that both were going to be released was known in advance by Italian diplomacy, but nothing had been publicly communicated until the release of both citizens was finalized.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Melonithanked the president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez for the gesture:
“I welcome with joy and satisfaction the liberation of our compatriots Alberto Trentini and Mario Burlò, who are safe in the Italian Embassy in Caracas. On behalf of the Italian government, I wish to express my most sincere gratitude to the authorities in Caracas, starting with President Rodríguez, for the constructive cooperation demonstrated in recent days, and to all the institutions and people in Italy who have worked with commitment and discretion to achieve this important result,” said Meloni.
“They didn’t torture us, they treated us well,” said Trentini and Burló when they were released this Sunday night while they were transferred to the Italian embassy.
Trentini said that during the last transfer they were not hooded, and that unlike other times, “even the food was enough.”
The president of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, called Trentini’s mother to give her the good news of the news of his release. son.
In Italy, the news has been celebrated by multiple political and social actors, but above all by the families of both citizens.
