On the night of 24 August in Caracas, the release was announced of the Italo-Venezuelans Amerigo De Grazia (detained on 7 August 2024) and Margarita Assenza (detained on 2 October 2024), together with a number of other prisoners.
This result has also been made possible thanks to the work carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the country’s institutions, following the initiative of Minister Antonio Tajani and the Government.
Amerigo De Grazia, a former opposition Member of the National Assembly, had been held in solitary confinement at the Helicoide prison. The Italian Embassy had repeatedly raised with the Venezuelan authorities its serious concerns over his medical condition, urging that he be given access to the specialist care he required. Margarita Paulina Assenza Arteaga, likewise held at the Helicoide, had been working with the Mayor of Maracaibo, Rafael Ramirez, who was arrested alongside her on charges of committing “offences against State property”.
Both are due to appear in court on Monday to determine the conditions under which proceedings may continue and to clarify their individual legal status. They have also been ordered not to leave Caracas, while other detainees have instead been placed under house arrest. Efforts remain ongoing to secure the release of Alberto Trentini and all other Italian nationals still in detention.
