Venezuela to investigate El Salvador’s Bukele over ‘torture’ of US-deported migrants
Venezuela has launched a formal probe into El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and senior officials over allegations of torturing 252 Venezuelan migrants who were deported from the United States and detained in a notorious Salvadoran prison.
Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced the investigation on Monday, presenting harrowing testimonies from former detainees who alleged they were beaten, sexually abused, and given rotten food, while others were denied medical treatment or operated on without anesthesia, News.Az reports, citing foreign media
“These are clear violations of human rights,” Saab said, urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Human Rights Council to take action.
The Venezuelans were deported to El Salvador in March after U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to expel suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang without due process. Families and lawyers of the men deny any gang ties, with human rights groups condemning the deportations as unlawful and abusive.
The detainees were released last week in a swap for 10 U.S. citizens and political prisoners held in Venezuela. On Friday, the migrants landed near Caracas, many bearing bruises, marks of rubber bullet wounds, and other injuries.
One of the returnees, Andry Hernandez Romero, a 32-year-old beautician, described his ordeal:
“We were going through torture, physical aggressions, psychological aggressions. I was sexually abused,” he said in a video shown by prosecutors.
Others reported being confined in “inhuman cells”, deprived of sunlight, ventilation, and clean water, with no contact with lawyers or relatives.
Saab said the investigation will also target Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro and Prisons Director Osiris Luna Meza. Bukele’s office did not comment on the allegations but dismissed Venezuela’s outrage.
“The Maduro regime was satisfied with the swap deal; that’s why they accepted it,” Bukele wrote on X (formerly Twitter), accusing Venezuela of “running out of hostages.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed Bukele attempted to block the release flights by obstructing the runway. Meanwhile, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called the entire process an “exchange of prisoners of war.”
Ironically, Venezuela itself is under ICC investigation for alleged torture and denial of due process for political prisoners. The case now pits two controversial governments against each other amid escalating tensions over migration, human rights, and U.S. policies.
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