Overview
- Foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Castro is now in safety on the plane returning to France.
- The 41-year-old yoga teacher disappeared on June 26 at the Paraguachón border crossing while seeking to renew his Colombian residency, with only a late-July audio plea reaching his family.
- Press reports say Venezuelan migratory police arrested him, accused him of terrorism, and held him at Rodeo 1 without trial or access to a lawyer.
- The Élysée thanked partners for their help, and a source close to the case said Mexican and Brazilian diplomats assisted the effort.
- Rights groups, including Amnesty International and Foro Penal, describe a pattern of forced disappearances and note that many foreign nationals remain detained in Venezuela.