More than a year and a half of unjust detention
En un gesto cargado de ambigüedad diplomática, Venezuela liberó esta semana a cinco ciudadanos españoles que llevaban entre seis y dieciocho meses detenidos bajo cargos que Madrid siempre rechazó como infundados. El gobierno de Maduro enmarcó las liberaciones como un paso hacia la paz, mientras las familias de los detenidos insistían en que sus seres queridos eran turistas, trabajadores o activistas, no agentes del Estado. Este intercambio silencioso entre dos gobiernos recuerda que, en la diplomacia contemporánea, la libertad de las personas puede convertirse en moneda de negociación antes que en derecho inviolable.
- Cinco españoles —entre ellos dos vascos acusados de terrorismo, un marinero canario y una reconocida activista de derechos civiles— permanecieron retenidos en Venezuela durante meses sin que sus familias pudieran confirmar su paradero ni los cargos en su contra.
- El gobierno venezolano los presentó como espías, mercenarios y conspiradores; Madrid los defendió como ciudadanos ordinarios y negó cualquier vínculo con los servicios de inteligencia.
- La liberación fue anunciada por Caracas como un acto de buena voluntad para 'consolidar la paz', pero la opacidad del proceso y la ausencia de garantías procesales dejan sin respuesta las preguntas más incómodas.
- Los cinco se encuentran ya bajo asistencia consular en Caracas y se preparan para regresar a España, mientras unos veinte compatriotas siguen presos en el país bajo circunstancias igualmente inciertas.
Esta semana, cinco ciudadanos españoles recuperaron la libertad tras meses de detención en Venezuela. El gobierno de Maduro presentó su liberación como un gesto de paz; el gobierno español la recibió con alivio, aunque sin renunciar a su postura: ninguno de los detenidos trabajaba para el Estado ni para sus servicios de inteligencia.
Entre los liberados se encuentran Andrés Martínez Adasme y José María Basoa, dos bilbaínos arrestados en octubre de 2024 cerca del aeropuerto de Puerto Ayacucho, en el estado Amazonas. Las autoridades venezolanas los acusaron de portar armas y planear acciones contra Maduro, alegando vínculos con el CNI. Sus familias dijeron que eran turistas. El lehendakari Imanol Pradales confirmó que ambos gozan de buena salud tras 'más de año y medio de injusta detención'.
Miguel Moreno Dapena, canario, fue detenido en junio cuando la embarcación de investigación marina en la que viajaba fue interceptada por la Armada venezolana. Su hermano confirmó que ya se encuentra en el consulado español en Caracas y regresará a Madrid en los próximos días. Ernesto Gorbe Cardona, valenciano arrestado en diciembre de 2024, también fue liberado, aunque los detalles de su caso siguen siendo escasos.
El perfil más destacado es el de Rocío San Miguel, presidenta de Control Ciudadano, organización de monitoreo de derechos civiles, detenida en febrero de 2024 cuando intentaba salir del país. Acusada de conspirar para asesinar a Maduro, llevaba cerca de dos años presa.
El presidente Pedro Sánchez calificó las liberaciones de 'paso necesario para promover el diálogo'. Sin embargo, la situación dista de estar resuelta: unos veinte españoles —la mayoría con doble nacionalidad— permanecen encarcelados en Venezuela, y las condiciones de detención y los procesos judiciales que los mantienen presos siguen envueltos en la misma opacidad que rodeó estos cinco casos.
After more than a year in Venezuelan custody, five Spanish citizens walked free this week as the Maduro government announced their release as a gesture toward "consolidating peace and peaceful coexistence." The Spanish Foreign Ministry confirmed their names: Andrés Martínez Adasme and José María Basoa, both from Bilbao; Miguel Moreno Dapena from the Canary Islands; Ernesto Gorbe Cardona from Valencia; and Rocío San Miguel, who holds dual Spanish-Venezuelan nationality. Each had been held on separate charges, in separate circumstances, across more than a year of detention.
Basoa and Martínez Adasme were arrested in October 2024 near Puerto Ayacucho airport in Amazonas state, near the Colombian and Brazilian borders. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello claimed they were found in irregular circumstances, taking photographs, carrying weapons intended for "fascist actions" against President Nicolás Maduro. The government alleged they had links to Spain's National Intelligence Center, the CNI. Madrid flatly denied this. The Spanish government stated neither man worked for the CNI or any state agency. Their families said they were simply tourists. The two men vanished into Venezuelan detention, and their families did not report them missing until September 9, 2024—weeks after their arrest. Basque regional president Imanol Pradales confirmed both men are in good health and have been freed after "more than a year and a half of unjust detention."
Miguel Moreno Dapena, a Canary Islander, was arrested in June when the N35, a Panamanian-flagged marine research vessel, was intercepted by the Venezuelan Navy. The government said the ship was conducting suspicious scientific investigations in Venezuelan waters. Eight crew members were also detained. Dapena's brother confirmed to Spanish radio that he is now at the Spanish consulate in Caracas and will arrive in Madrid on Thursday.
Ernesto Gorbe Cardona, the Valencian detainee, was arrested in December 2024. Details about his case remain sparse in official statements.
Rocío San Miguel presents a different profile. She is the president of Control Ciudadano, a civil rights monitoring organization, and was arrested in February 2024 as she attempted to leave the country. The Venezuelan government accused her of involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate Maduro. She has been held for nearly two years.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry said all five are being assisted by the embassy in Caracas and are preparing to travel to Spain. President Pedro Sánchez called the releases "a necessary step to promote dialogue and reconciliation among Venezuelans." Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced the news on Spanish radio.
The liberation of these five comes against a backdrop of broader detention concerns. Spanish authorities estimate roughly twenty Spanish citizens remain imprisoned in Venezuela, though most hold dual nationality. The releases signal a possible diplomatic opening, yet they also underscore the precariousness of Spanish nationals in the country and the opacity of the charges and detention processes that held them.
Citações Notáveis
They return to Euskadi after more than a year and a half detained unjustly. Both are well and have been freed, news that brings peace of mind to their families.— Imanol Pradales, Basque regional president, on the release of Basoa and Martínez Adasme
It is an act of justice and a necessary step to promote dialogue and reconciliation among Venezuelans.— Pedro Sánchez, Spanish president, on the releases
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Venezuela frame this as a peace gesture rather than simply releasing people who may have been wrongfully detained?
Because Maduro's government needs to appear magnanimous without admitting error. Calling it a peace measure lets them save face—they're not reversing course, they're being generous.
The two Basque men were accused of terrorism. Do we know if there was any actual evidence, or was that purely political?
Spain's government denied the CNI connection entirely, and the families say they were tourists. But the Venezuelan government controlled the investigation, the detention, the narrative. We don't have access to what they claim they found.
What about Rocío San Miguel? She seems different from the others.
She is. She's Venezuelan, a citizen activist. The others were foreign nationals caught in the wrong place. San Miguel was detained for her work monitoring government abuses. That's a different kind of threat to Maduro.
How long were these people actually held?
Basoa and Martínez Adasme: sixteen months. Dapena: seven months. Gorbe: about a month. San Miguel: nearly two years. The length varies, but none of it was short.
What happens to the twenty others still there?
That's the question no one's answering. These five were released as a gesture. The others remain. It's unclear if more releases will follow or if this was a one-time diplomatic move.