Overview
- President Emmanuel Macron announced the release on X, and Castro traveled to Paris where he reunited with his family.
- Castro, a 41-year-old yoga instructor who lived in Colombia, vanished at the Paraguachón crossing on June 26 while renewing a residency visa.
- He was held without formal charges at El Rodeo prison outside Caracas, the same facility where Italian aid worker Alberto Trentini remains detained.
- France pursued contacts with Caracas mediated by Brazil and Mexico, and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said no conditions were attached and the accusations were unfounded.
- Amnesty International has documented alleged enforced disappearances in Venezuela, and Castro’s family and rights advocates urged continued efforts for other detainees.