(CNN) A U.S. delegation traveling to Venezuela this week failed to secure the release of one of the Americans detained there.
US special envoy for hostage-taking Roger Carstens had the opportunity to meet with Americans detained illegally in the capital, Caracas, and discuss “with senior Maduro government officials the importance of ensuring that they have received appropriate care where needed, “a State Department spokesman said. CNN.
But the visit by Carstens and Ambassador Jimmy Story, who heads the U.S. Venezuelan Department, ended on Thursday without any Americans whom the United States sees being held in detention being able to return home.
There are at least eight Americans currently known to be being held illegally in Venezuela – five of the top six U.S. oil officials known as “CITGO 6” – Tomeu Vadell, Jorge Toledo, Alirio Jose Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano and Jose Angel Pereira – with Luke Denman, Airan Berry and Matthew Heath.
“We will continue to press for the unconditional release of detained U.S. citizens at any time,” a State Department spokesman said.
A senior U.S. State Department official told CNN that the talks between U.S. and Maduro officials were very fruitful but both sides had more work to do to mend fences between them. Some progress has been made in previous talks between the two sides, according to a government official, who said there was also a feeling that there was “open communication on this issue” between the United States and the government of Nicolas Maduro. which the United States does not recognize as the legitimate president of Venezuela.
The official declined to comment on the talks or reveal who Carstens and Labari met with from the Maduro administration, but Carstens was able to visit all Americans whom the State Department considers detained without your consent. ‘ida ba. The visit to the detainees did not appear to have been rushed, the official told CNN.
It also means that people are happy to see a special envoy “because without the embassy there and the embassy check that comes when you have an embassy in the country, they just don’t have that opportunity to tell a part of their story. to inform their relatives that someone has seen them and they can report, ‘You, I saw your husband, your brother, your father, see how we did, to what The United States suspended its operations at its embassy in Venezuela in March 2019, the official said.
One of the American detainees, Heath, a former U.S. soldier who has been detained for nearly two years on what the U.S. State Department calls “special” charges, attempted suicide in the first instance. this month.
A senior U.S. State Department official said the delegation planned to make the trip a “safe and comfortable visit” to all Americans detained prior to the Heath suicide bombing, but worried about his well-being. I’m in a hurry to visit this week. , and this concern was expressed in discussions with Venezuelan officials.
Heath’s aunt Trudy Rutherford said in a statement on Thursday that “they believe Matthew’s physical and mental health is both in danger and they fear another suicide attempt.”
“While we are very grateful to Ambassador Carstens and his team for making this trip, it is important to continue to do a great job, between the U.S. government and the repatriation of Matthew and other Americans detained,” he said. she said.
“President Biden and President Maduro have both stood up to benefit from an end to the suffering of all these Americans and their families and have not benefited from prolonged detention,” Rutherford said.
The Vadell family, one of the “CITGO 6” jailed since 2017, said in a statement that they were “deeply saddened to see another plane land in the United States without Tomeu.”
“For more than four and a half years, this innocent human rights have been violated,” the family said. “It’s not acceptable.”
Vadell’s family has called on “all stakeholders,” including the US government, Venezuelan authorities, CITGO and the United Nations, to work for his immediate release, noting that he is 63 years old. childbirth and “suffers from heart problems and tuberculosis.”
“His health and safety are our top priorities,” they said. “We need everyone involved to take immediate action, because every day is important.”
Two Americans detained in Venezuela, including one of CITGO 6, were released in March following a visit by two senior US government officials to Caracas.
This article has been updated with more details.
