BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s government said on Thursday it had filed a case with the International Criminal Court against Venezuela over the detention of a member of its gendarmerie, a branch of Argentina’s security forces, calling it an “enforced disappearance.”
Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil dismissed the complaint to the ICC, calling it a “wretched spectacle,” in a Telegram post.
Tensions between the two South American countries have risen since Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian, took over as Argentina’s president in late 2023. Relations have soured since Venezuela’s disputed presidential election in July, in which current socialist President Nicolas Maduro declared victory.
Last month, Argentina accused Caracas of detaining Nahuel Gallo, a member of its gendarmerie, after he tried to enter Venezuela from a crossing point in Colombia to visit family. They demanded his immediate release.
“He has not disappeared,” Venezuela’s attorney general Tarek Saab said in an email to Reuters on Thursday. “He is detained and proceedings are being conducted against him before the competent court.”
Venezuelan prosecutors said Gallo was under investigation for alleged links to a group that wants to carry out destabilizing and “terrorist” actions.
“The Argentinian government will continue to use all legal and diplomatic resources to guarantee the rights of its citizen Nahuel Gallo,” Argentina’s foreign ministry said.
