Seventy-year-old entrepreneur Luigi Gasperin is reportedly among the foreign prisoners released in Venezuela in an attempt to secure legitimacy and send a signal of openness to the United States and the rest of the world.
Hope is rekindled for the family of Alberto Trentini, the Italian aid worker detained for over 400 days . Armanda and Ezio Trentini , who are following the developments following the US raid from their home on the Venice Lido, say they are experiencing "days of anguish and hope."
In addition to Trentini, 27 other Italians (some with dual citizenship) are believed to be implicated for reasons related to politics, their professional activities, or the expression of opinions deemed inconvenient to the regime. Among them are Biagio Pilieri and Mario Burlò. Pilieri, an Italian-Venezuelan journalist and politician, was arrested on August 28, 2024, for his support of the opposition. Burlò, a Turin-based entrepreneur, has been in prison for over a year. According to his family , he is being held without clear motives. Burlò reportedly left for Venezuela in 2024 to explore new business opportunities, but never returned.
