"A year has passed since Alberto was arrested in Venezuela, a year of unbearable waiting for him and for us."

This is what Armanda Colusso Trentini, the mother of the 46-year-old Venetian aid worker detained since November 15th in a Caracas, Venezuela, prison after being stopped at a checkpoint, said. She appealed, with a front-page article in La Repubblica, for continued media pressure to secure the release of her son Alberto, who worked as a coordinator with the French NGO for people with disabilities, "Humanity and Inclusion."

"A year without my Alberto, we all demand his release," is the title of the appeal. "Tomorrow we will meet in Milan to talk about him once again," it continues. " And I ask you all to never tire of doing so, because only strong media pressure can convince those in power to act and finally bring him home. Alberto dedicated his life to others, and now he needs you: write, talk about it, insist, so that those who must decide can do so without further hesitation, as has happened with other of our compatriots."

The Venezuelan government broke its silence for the first time in an interview with CNN last September, on the three-hundredth day of his detention : "I am well aware of Alberto Trentini's case," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil declared. "His human rights have not been violated, he has a lawyer, he is on trial, there is legal action, and he will follow its course. There is a process that must be respected. In Venezuela, there are thousands of courts representing all nationalities: Colombians, Peruvians, Italians, accused of many crimes. The most common is drug trafficking."

No charges have been brought, however, against the aid worker, who arrived in Venezuela on October 17, 2024, for a mission. A month later, while traveling from Caracas to Guasdalito, he was stopped at a checkpoint and arrested. Since then, he has been held in El Rodeo I prison, located in the state of Miranda, on the outskirts of Caracas, about 30 kilometers from the capital, in a town called Guatire.

Trentini is most likely considered a "bargaining pawn" for Nicolas Maduro's regime, within the climate of protest against the Venezuelan government.

Diplomatic negotiations, as is necessary in these cases, are continuing quietly. "We are working to ensure he receives the best possible treatment and can return as soon as possible," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has repeatedly stated. "We will try," the Deputy Prime Minister added, "to ensure he can return to Italy and be released along with our other compatriots. Two were released a month ago; now we are working in a situation marked by uncertainty and difficulty; we will do everything possible to bring him back to Italy safe and sound." A month ago, Tajani made his last phone call to his family: "His health is good, as he assured his family during the call. It was a message of willingness from the Venezuelan authorities to let him speak to his family once again."

Meanwhile, Rafael Ramirez remains a refugee in Italy, protected by international law. He is one of Maduro's main opponents, and in September 2024, charges of embezzlement and money laundering for payments made to an oil company were dismissed. The dismissal of Ramirez's case, requested by Rome's prosecutors, was upheld by the Rome Court. Two months later, the Italian aid worker was arrested in Venezuela.

(Unioneonline/D)

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