BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s government said on Thursday it had filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court against Venezuela for detaining a member of its gendarmerie, a branch of Argentina’s security forces, calling it a “forced disappearance.”
Tensions between the two South American countries have risen since Javier Milei, a far-right libertarian, assumed Argentina’s presidency in late 2023. These worsened after Venezuela’s contested presidential election in July, in which incumbent socialist President Nicolas Maduro claimed victory.
Last month, Argentina accused Caracas of detaining Nahuel Gallo, a member of its gendarmerie, after he tried to enter Venezuela from a crossing in Colombia to visit family. They demanded his immediate release.
Venezuelan prosecutors, however, said last week that Gallo was being investigated for alleged links to a group seeking to carry out destabilizing and “terrorist” actions in the country.
“Argentina’s government will continue to use all legal and diplomatic resources to guarantee the rights of its citizen, Nahuel Gallo,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
(Reporting by Maximilian Heath; Editing by Richard Chang)
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