A canceled meeting between leaders dashes hopes of families of Colombian prisoners in Venezuela

VILLA DEL ROSARIO, Colombia — Javier Giraldo arrived Friday at an international bridge linking Colombia and Venezuela hoping to display a sign requesting his father's release from a Venezuelan prison during a scheduled meeting between the presidents of both South American countries.

But his hope vanished after a meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez was abruptly canceled the night before by both governments, citing unforeseen circumstances without elaborating.

It was the third time this year that Giraldo lost hope of getting his father released. First, after the U.S. military operation in January that ended with the capture of then- President Nicolás Maduro, and then when the Venezuelan legislature passed an amnesty law for the mass release of political prisoners.

He said his 70-year-old father, Javier Giraldo García, has spent the last four years detained at El Rodeo III prison in Guatire, roughly 36 kilometers (22 miles) southeast of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Though Colombian by birth, he lived in Venezuela for three decades before being captured in Táchira state and detained on terrorism-related charges, according to his son.

Colombian prisoners in Venezuela have been released gradually since last year following diplomatic efforts, according to Colombia’s foreign ministry. But figures from Venezuela-based prisoner rights organization Foro Penal, show there are at least eight Colombians and 11 Colombian-Venezuelans still detained in Venezuelan prisons.

The relatives of those who remain detained have protested sporadically.

Ninfa Rebolledo, who joined other protesters Friday near the Atanasio Girardot Binational Bridge despite the meeting cancellation, said her son, Albeiro Guevara, is hopeful for a speedy release. She said he has been imprisoned for over six years on charges of “aggravated trafficking in transport” — a crime of which he maintains he is innocent.

“He is under the impression that they were going to bring them over and hand them over right here at the international bridge,” Rebolledo — who speaks with her son by phone every two weeks — said.

However, at the international bridge connecting Norte de Santander with the Venezuelan state of Táchira, there was no such handover — nor any unusual activity — following the cancelation of the first in-person meeting between Petro and Rodríguez.

Colombia and Venezuela issued a joint statement late Thursday assuring a meeting would take place at a future date, without providing further details.