Venezuela's Maduro Taking Foreign Prisoners As Negotiation Leverage In Case Of Regime Collapse, Top Journalist Suggests

Amid the fall of Syria's autocrat Bashar Al Assad's government, Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro— who was also one of Al Assad's allies— is reportedly seeking to escape a similar fate. With that in mind, he seems to have adopted a new tactic that may gain him leverage with non-friendly nations: imprisoning foreigners and using them as leverage to negotiate an orderly exit of power.

Infobae journalist Román Lejtman wrote that countries ranging from Argentina, to Colombia, United State believe Maduro is following this playbook, having already rounded up roughly 20 political prisoners who he would be willing to release in exchange for being allowed to depart to Cuba or Russia, the country's two strongest allies, without legal repercussions.

The latest prisoner to be added to that group is Argentina's Agustin Nahuel Gallo, who entered the country from Colombia to visit his partner Maria Gomez, according to the report. Gallo is part of a Border Patrol squad operating between the borders of Chile and Argentina. He reportedly has no links to intelligence nor Argentinian President Javier Milei's government.

Milei's administration ordered a diplomatic raid to ensure Gallo's release, but his political action was bogged down by the absence of immediate support from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and the United Nations.

This would not be the first time Maduro's regime has retained political prisoners in hopes of reaching a deal. Iin December 2023, Maduro exchanged alleged front man Alex Saab for ten American citizens jailed in Venezuela. Saab had been extradited from Cape Verde to Florida to be tried for different corruption cases, and Joe Biden accepted his release in exchange for those kidnapped by Maduro.

Now, Infobae reports Maduro's government is considering the tactic if political stability grows increasingly complicated ahead of the autocrat's inauguration on Jan. 10, 2025. Maduro claimed victory in the July presidential election but has not shown documentation to back his claim. The opposition, in turn, presented voting tallies from hundreds of voting booths showing its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, won in a landslide. He has since fled to Spain following threats against him but intends to return to Venezuela before January 10.

Maduro, however, will likely take advantage of the political situation in the U.S.— particularly the transition period between Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump— as well as the ideological fracture in Latin America to negotiate a position of strength, according to the Argentinian news outlet.

Reports of a potential Maduro escape comes as Syria's decades-long autocrat quickly fell after over a decade of civil war, leading to the fall of his government and eventual secret escape to Russia. Three sources close to the Russian government told Bloomberg News this its agents persuaded the dictator he would lose a fight with the rebels and that he needed to flee the country immediately.

Assad followed the advice and reportedly fled Damascus without telling his closest advisers and friends in case he was betrayed. Russian president Vladimir Putin, personally approved the rescue of Assad on Sunday and has guaranteed his safety in exile, although he has no intention of meeting him, Kremlin sources said.