CARACAS, Venezuela — A powerful U.S. senator has travelled to Venezuela as pressure mounts on President Nicolas Maduro to release a Utah man jailed for nearly two years in the volatile South American country.

A spokesman for Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois arrived Wednesday to meet with members of the government and opposition. He didn't provide further details.

But the Senate's No. 2 Democrat is expected to meet with Maduro to discuss the imprisonment of Joshua Holt, who is awaiting a trial on what the U.S. considers trumped up weapons charges.

The rare visit comes as the Trump administration weighs a crippling embargo on Venezuela's oil shipments on top of sanctions it already has imposed on dozens of officials.

Durbin's meeting follows weeks of backchannel talks between the two countries over Holt. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A powerful U.S. senator traveled to Venezuela Wednesday as pressure mounted on President Nicolas Maduro to hand over a Utah man jailed in the turbulent South American country for nearly two years.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois was to meet with members of the government and opposition, a spokesman for his office said. He didn’t provide further details.

The Senate’s No. 2 Democrat is also expected to meet with Maduro to discuss the imprisonment of Joshua Holt, who is being held in a Caracas prison along with several top government opponents awaiting a trial on what the U.S. has called trumped-up weapons charges.

The rare visit comes as the Trump administration weighs an embargo on Venezuela’s oil shipments on top of sanctions it already has imposed on dozens of top officials, including Maduro himself, for what the U.S. considers Venezuela’s slide into a dictatorship.

“The Venezuelan people continue to suffer immensely under the Maduro regime’s repressive actions,” Durbin recently tweeted, supporting sanctions while condemning Maduro’s “criminal regime and its complete disregard for democracy.”

Durbin’s visit follows weeks of backchannel talks over Holt between representatives of the two countries in both Caracas and Washington.

Last week, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, also spoke to Maduro by phone to press for Holt’s release, according to a Venezuelan official with knowledge of the conversation but who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. Hatch’s office refused to comment on the senator’s efforts to secure Holt’s release but said they are unrelated to Durbin’s travel plans.

Holt, 25, traveled to Venezuela in June 2016 to marry a fellow Mormon he met online practicing his Spanish. The couple was arrested during a police raid on the housing complex where she had lived. Venezuelan authorities alleged Holt was stockpiling “weapons of war.”

U.S. officials have repeatedly demanded Holt’s release on humanitarian grounds, considering the charges against him and his wife, Thamara Caleno Candelo, to be politically motivated.

Maduro is expected to win a second term as president in a May 20 election that the U.S. and Venezuela’s largest opposition parties have rejected as being rigged in Maduro’s favor, leaving the South American leader few if any allies in Washington from either political party.

Durbin played a key role in Cuba’s 2014 release of American Alan Gross, who was held in prison for five years on the communist island.

The Associated Press first reported behind-the-scenes dialogue to win Holt’s freedom. Caleb McCarry, a top Republican congressional staffer who has known Maduro for 15 years, traveled to Caracas in February to meet with the Venezuelan leader and First Lady Cilia Flores to press for Holt’s release.

That dialogue prompted a visit to Washington by a trusted ally of Maduro, Gov. Rafael Lacava of Carabobo state, to discuss Holt with lawmakers.

By SCOTT SMITH and JOSHUA GOODMAN, Associated Press

Smith reported this story in Caracas and Goodman reported from Bogota, Colombia

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Caracas, Venezuela • A powerful U.S. senator traveled to Venezuela on Wednesday as pressure mounted on President Nicolas Maduro to hand over a Utah man jailed in the turbulent South American country for nearly two years.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois was to meet with members of the government and opposition, a spokesman for his office said. He didn’t provide further details.

The Senate’s No. 2 Democrat is also expected to meet with Maduro to discuss the imprisonment of Joshua Holt, who is being held in a Caracas prison along with several top government opponents while awaiting a trial on what the U.S. has called trumped-up weapons charges.

The rare visit comes as the Trump administration weighs an embargo on Venezuela’s oil shipments on top of sanctions it already has imposed on dozens of top officials, including Maduro himself, for what the U.S. considers Venezuela’s slide into a dictatorship.

“The Venezuelan people continue to suffer immensely under the Maduro regime’s repressive actions,” Durbin recently tweeted, supporting sanctions while condemning Maduro’s “criminal regime and its complete disregard for democracy.”

Durbin’s visit follows weeks of backchannel talks over Holt between representatives of the two countries in Caracas and Washington.

Holt, 25, traveled to Venezuela in June 2016 to marry a fellow Mormon he met online practicing his Spanish. The couple were arrested during a police raid on the housing complex where she had lived.

Venezuelan authorities alleged Holt was stockpiling “weapons of war.”

U.S. officials have repeatedly demanded Holt’s release on humanitarian grounds, considering the charges against him and his wife, Thamara Candelo, to be politically motivated.

Maduro is expected to win a second term as president in a May 20 election that the U.S. and Venezuela’s largest opposition parties have rejected as being rigged in his favor, leaving the South American leader few if any allies in Washington from either political party.

Durbin played a key role in Cuba’s 2014 release of American Alan Gross, who was held in prison for five years on the communist island.

The Associated Press first reported behind-the-scenes dialogue to win Holt’s freedom. Caleb McCarry, a top Republican congressional staffer who has known Maduro for 15 years, traveled to Caracas in February to meet with the Venezuelan leader and first lady Cilia Flores to press for Holt’s release. </s> US man released after 5 years in Venezuelan jails

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — An American man detained during a wave of unrest in Venezuela has been freed after being held for five years.

Todd Leininger, 37, was arrested in April 2014 on what his family describes as trumped-up charges. He was released Thursday.

A senior Venezuelan official characterized the release as a gesture aimed at improving U.S. relations.

The U.S. State Department is calling Leininger's release "overdue," noting a Venezuelan court ordered him freed in November.

Venezuelan officials have accused him of aiding the opposition during anti-government protests.

The Florida native is one of several Americans who have found themselves behind bars in Venezuela as the nation's political and economic crisis deepens.

Joshua Holt was released after being held for over two years. Five Citgo oil executives who are U.S. citizens remain detained. </s> U.S. Senator Dick Durbin is in Venezuela to meet with government and opposition leaders, his spokesman said.

Durbin, of Illinois, is the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate. His spokesman, Ben Marter, said he wouldn’t comment on the agenda or the purpose of the trip.

President Donald Trump’s administration is weighing whether to ratchet up sanctions against Venezuela, and officials have said that could include banning oil imports from and exports to the nation.

Meetings are planned this month between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his counterparts from the European Union, Canada, the U.K. and many Latin American countries to coordinate efforts to tighten economic pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

Trump last month banned U.S. purchases of a cryptocurrency the Venezuela government is rolling out as part of the campaign. That is in addition to sanctions on Venezuelan officials accused of corruption and rights violations.

The U.S. is attempting to free Joshua Holt, a Utah man imprisoned since 2016 in Venezuela on weapons charges that his family says are bogus. </s> US President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Venezuela has released American Joshua Holt after nearly two years in jail in the leftist-ruled country, and that he was heading home for a White House reception.

Holt's release came after Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met in Caracas Friday with President Nicolas Maduro.

Utah Senator Orrin Hatch praised Corker's "pivotal efforts" in gaining Holt's release, adding that the Utah resident was on his way back to the United States.

"Good news about the release of the American hostage from Venezuela," Trump tweeted. "Should be landing in D.C. this evening and be in the White House, with his family, at about 7:00 P.M. The great people of Utah will be very happy!"

Trump did not initially identify Holt by name but later did in a follow-up tweet.

Holt, a Mormon, was being held at a prison in Caracas known as the Helicoide where the Venezuelan intelligence service Sebin keeps political prisoners.

He was arrested shortly after arriving in Venezuela in June 2016, accused of possessing weapons and plotting to destabilize the Maduro government.

Top officials in the Socialist government labelled him a US spy.

Earlier this month, Holt surfaced during a protest by opposition activists jailed in the Helicoide, and appealed for US help in a video posted on Twitter.

"I'm calling on the people of America. I need your help to get me out of this place," Holt said in the video.

He also appeared in a photo taken of a group of prisoners inside the detention center.

"As announced by the president, our son and his wife will be released today," read a family statement issued by Holt's lawyer in Venezuela, Carlos Trujillo. "We thank you for your collaboration during this time of anguish we have been through."

"We are grateful to everyone who participated in this miracle."

Holt's release comes as Maduro moves to ease tensions that have spiked since his re-election May 20 in a vote boycotted by most opposition parties and denounced as illegitimate by the US, EU, Canada and at least a dozen Latin American countries.

The Trump administration tightened sanctions on Venezuela after the vote.

The Venezuelan president then retaliated by giving the two top US diplomats in the country 48 hours to leave, accusing them of conspiring against his government.

But on Friday, however, human rights monitors reported the release of 20 activists who had been jailed in the western state of Zulia for protesting against the government.

In taking the oath of office on Thursday, Maduro acknowledged that the sanctions are biting.

"I can't deceive anybody, they are going to create grave difficulties, painful difficulties."

"A profound rectification is needed, things have to be done anew and better. We are not doing things well and we have to change this country," he said.

The Venezuelan economy is in shambles, with hyperinflation expected to hit 13,000 percent this year and dire shortages of food that have driven hundreds of thousands of citizens to pour into neighboring Colombia and Brazil.

Maduro has blamed the US for his country's woes, but most economists point to years of destructive policies and corruption as well as a period of plunging oil prices.

Venezuela -- once one of Latin America's most prosperous countries -- has the world's largest oil reserves but oil production has fallen sharply in recent years amid corruption, disinvestment and the loss of skilled workers. </s> US President Donald Trump announced Saturday that Venezuela has released American Joshua Holt after nearly two years in jail in the leftist-ruled country.

"Good news about the release of the American hostage from Venezuela," Trump tweeted. "Should be landing in D.C. this evening and be in the White House, with his family, at about 7:00 P.M. The great people of Utah will be very happy!"

Holt's release came after Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, met in Caracas Friday with President Nicolas Maduro.

Senator Hatch said Holt was on his way to the United States and praised Corker's "pivotal efforts."

Holt, a Mormon, was being held at a prison in Caracas known as the Helicoide where political prisoners are held by the Venezuelan intelligence service Sebin.

He was arrested shortly after arriving in Venezuela nearly two years ago.

He surfaced in a video calling on the US government to help get him out during a prison protest earlier this month by jailed opposition activists.

On Friday, the government released 20 jailed activists held in the western state of Zulia amid moves by Maduro to ease domestic tensions.

Maduro was re-elected to a six-year term in controversial elections May 20 that were boycotted by most opposition parties and rejected as illegitimate by the United States and other countries. </s> WASHINGTON/CARACAS (Reuters) – American missionary Josh Holt, held by Venezuela without trial on weapons charges since 2016, was heading home with his wife on Saturday after the South American country’s socialist government unexpectedly released him. </s> (CNN) — Josh Holt, an American who had been held as a prisoner in Venezuela since the summer of 2016, is back on US soil.

President Donald Trump announced on Saturday morning that Holt had been released from prison in Venezuela and was expected to land in D.C. in the evening. At 6:50 p.m., Republican Rep. Mia Love of Utah tweetedthat the plane carrying Holt, a Utah native, and his wife, Thamy, had landed in Washington.

Shortly afterward, Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, who said in a statement that his office helped secure Holt’s release, posted a video to Twitter showing Holt reuniting with his family.

The U.S. “offered nothing” to Venezuelan leadership in exchange for the release of Holt, two White House National Security Council officials told CNN.

Holt traveled to Venezuela in June 2016 to marry Venezuelan Thamara Caleño, according to news reports. He was arrested shortly afterward and accused by the Venezuelan government of stockpiling weapons and attempting to destabilize the government, according to The Washington Post. Holt was held for nearly two years without standing trial.

Holt and his wife were freed overnight and released to the US Embassy in Caracas, according to Foro Penal, a human rights organization of lawyers and others who assist political prisoners in Venezuela. The couple, joined by Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, flew back to the US on Saturday afternoon.

Trump tweeted a second time Saturday, saying, “Looking forward to seeing Joshua Holt this evening in the White House. The great people of Utah are Celebrating!”

Aides were asked to prepare for Trump to deliver a statement on Holt’s release sometime Saturday night from the White House, a White House official told CNN’s Jeff Zeleny. The details were still being worked out, the official said.

“We’re grateful to all who participated in this miracle,” Holt’s family said in a statement.

“Over the last two years I’ve worked with two Presidential administrations, countless diplomatic contacts, ambassadors from all over the world, a network of contacts in Venezuela, and President Maduro himself, and I could not be more honored to be able to reunite Josh with his sweet, long-suffering family in Riverton,” Hatch said in a statement earlier on Saturday.

“I want to thank (Senate Foreign Relations Committee) Chairman Bob Corker for his pivotal efforts, and that of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for their help in this effort. I want to particularly thank Caleb McCarry, whose expertise and effort in Venezuela on my behalf has been instrumental in bringing Josh home,” he said, referring to an aide of Corker’s.

“I am pleased to join Senator Hatch and President Trump in announcing the release of Josh and Thamy Holt,” Corker said in a statement. “Senator Hatch has worked tirelessly on the Holt family’s behalf, and I was honored to play a small role in bringing Josh and his wife home to the United States. I also would like to thank Secretary (of State Mike) Pompeo and his team at the State Department for all that they have done.”

Other members of Congress expressed their elation over Holt’s release. Love tweeted, “After nearly 2 years, Josh Holt is finally coming home! Thanks to @realdonaldtrump and others who I’ve had the pleasure to work with to secure Josh’s freedom. #justiceforjosh #utpol.”

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, praised Hatch for working “tirelessly to bring this innocent young man & his bride home.”

“Josh & Thamy Holt had nothing to do with internal politics in #Venezuela,” Rubio tweeted.

Holt’s release comes more than a week after he posted videos to Facebook during a prison riot, pleading for help from Americans and the US government. In one video he said, “I’ve been begging my government for two years. They say they’re doing things, but I’m still here.”
United States Senator Dick Durbin visits Venezuela to negotiate the release of Joshua Holt, who has been detained for two years awaiting trial on a weapons charge. The United States has been critical of his prosecution.