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> Friday, U.S. Senator Todd Young released a statement following the release of Indiana’s Todd Leininger after being imprisoned in Venezuela since 2014:

“After five years, I am relieved that Todd has finally been allowed to return to the United States, and I look forward to welcoming him home to Indiana. It is shameful that it took the Venezuelan authorities almost a year to recognize the rule of law and release Todd as ordered by a Venezuelan court. My prayers are with Todd and his mother Barbara as they are reunited. My office will continue to provide any assistance needed as they work to move past this difficult period.”

Leininger was imprisoned in Venezuela back in 2014 during a wave of civil unrest in the country. Venezuelan officials accused Leininger of aiding opposition during an anti-government protest.

He was released on Thursday, April 25th, and arrived in Miami, Florida, Friday morning.

Senator Young outlined his concerns in a letter to Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump, and Vice President Pence. While those efforts were underway, Young introduced the Venezuela Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance, and Development Act, to hold Venezuelan officials accountable for the continued detention of Leininger and many others. </s> By The Associated Press

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…

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.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> An American who had been imprisoned in Venezuela since 2014 has finally been released, his family have confirmed in a statement.

Todd Leininger, 37, from Bloomington, Indiana, was originally arrested on charges of attempted murder and arms trafficking five years ago, during a visit to the country with his wife, who is of Venezuelan origin.

With the US Supreme Court calling the charges ‘trumped up’, a Venezuelan judge eventually called for Leininger’s release last November after all counts were dropped.

But authorities ignored the order, and he remained incarcerated. They accused him of aiding the opposition during anti-government protests.

However, on Friday Barbara Leininger, Todd’s mother, released a statement on the Facebook page ‘BringToddHome’, to reveal she was en-route to finally pick her son up from the airport.

‘Over the past five years, all I have hoped and worked for is Todd’s safe return home,’ she said. ‘This was a long and often heart-breaking journey, but I am so grateful to be reunited with my son and to have him back home in Indiana.’

His release came at amid ever-heightening tensions between President Trump and the Venezuelan government, led by Nicholas Maduro.

The Trump administration has placed socialist leader Maduro under tight sanctions, for his part in cracking down on political opposition and his blockade of international humanitarian aid.

Along with 50 other countries, the US backs the leader of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the country’s legitimate president.

The State Department has now confirmed Leininger’s released, calling it ‘overdue’.

‘We welcome the release of U.S. citizen, Todd Leininger. The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State. Mr. Leininger’s release was overdue,’ the statement said.

‘A Venezuelan court ordered his release in November 2018, and since that time we have been pressing for his return to the United States.’

Leininger was released from a prison in the country’s capital city of Caracas on Wednesday, before being flown to Miami on Thursday for an emotional reunion with his family.

During his time in prison, Leininger is said to have suffered ‘mental and physical illnesses and extreme conditions throughout his imprisonment, including a lack of food and medicine,’ his family told ABC News.

Conditions inside his prison cell were said to have significantly worsened by the country’s escalating economic and political crises.

Leininger was among a number of other American citizens, who the US government say are being wrongly detained under Maduro’s reign.

While we welcome today’s news on Todd Leininger, we remain concerned about other Americans in prison in Venezuela,’ the State Department added. ‘We continue to call for their immediate release.’

Joshua Holt was released after being held for over two years. Six Citgo oil executives who are U.S. citizens remain detained. </s> American Todd Leininger has been released by Venezuela's government and returned to the United States, his family said Friday.

"Over the past five years, all I have hoped and worked for is Todd’s safe return home. This was a long and often heart-breaking journey, but I am so grateful to be reunited with my son and to have him back home in Indiana," his mother Barbara Leininger said in a statement.

Leininger had been held for five years, accused of arms trafficking and attempted murder. The U.S. called the charges trumped up.

His release comes at a moment of heightened tension between the Trump administration and the government of Nicolas Maduro. The socialist leader is under tight U.S. sanctions for his crackdown on political opposition, seizure of power and blockade of international humanitarian aid. The U.S. and over 50 other countries back the leader of the National Assembly Juan Guaido as the legitimate president.

The State Department confirmed Leininger's release, telling ABC News that it was "overdue."

Leininger was released from prison in Venezuela's capital of Caracas on Wednesday, and flown to Miami on Thursday, where his family will meet him.

While imprisoned, "he endured mental and physical illnesses and extreme conditions throughout his imprisonment, including lack of food and medicine, made even worse in recent months by the escalating crisis in the country," according to his family.

As many as a dozen other U.S. citizens are detained in Venezuela by the Maduro government, according to a State Department official. A spokesperson who said the U.S. "welcomes" Leininger's release called on Maduro to release the others.

"We remain concerned about other Americans in prison in Venezuela," they said in a statement. "We continue to call for their immediate release."

That was said to be complicated by the withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Venezuela. In March, the U.S. embassy in Caracas closed its doors and all American personnel returned to the U.S. Without consular officials on the ground to advocate for prisoners' release, their freedom was increasingly in jeopardy.

Among those still imprisoned are six employees of the U.S. oil company CITGO, who the State Department said "have been wrongfully detained for more than a year." CITGO is owned by Venezuela's state oil company PdVSA.

For Leininger, there were multiple false starts in securing his release. In May 2018, a judge granted him parole for good behavior, but he was never released. Last November, a court ordered his full release, but it never came.

At the time, he recorded a video message for his mother Barbara, telling her, "I love you, and I think I'm going to be coming home very soon, Mom. It's really, really exciting. It's very unsure though because we're here in Venezuela... You know how it's been for me."

In her statement Friday, Barbara Leininger thanked the State Department and members of Congress, as well as the Swiss embassy. Switzerland is currently the protecting power for the U.S. in Venezuela, looking after its citizens and embassy now that U.S. diplomats are gone.

This is a developing news story. Please check back in for updates. </s> Caracas, Venezuela — 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.

Leininger was released Thursday. A senior Venezuelan official characterized the release as a gesture aimed at improving U.S. relations, which have been especially strained since the U.S. chose to rebuke Nicolas Maduro and recognize National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as the country's president. Maduro suspended diplomatic talks in January.

The U.S. State Department called Leininger's release "overdue," noting a Venezuelan court ordered him freed in November. A department spokesperson issued a statement in March noting concerns against the Maduro regime regarding adequate nutrition being provided to detained U.S. citizens.

"Maduro loyalists continue to prevent our prisoners' families and attorneys from assisting with basic access to food and medicine, while toying with their mental health and general wellbeing," Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino noted.

Venezuelan officials accused Leininger of aiding the opposition during anti-government protests. He was arrested in San Cristóbal while he and his wife were visiting his sister-in-law.

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> CARACAS/WASHINGTON — A U.S. citizen arrested in Venezuela in 2014 on weapons trafficking and attempted murder charges his family called "trumped-up" was released this week, his family said in a statement Friday.

Todd Leininger, 37, was arrested in western Tachira state where he and his Venezuelan wife were visiting his sister-in-law, Reuters reported at the time. Tachira was then the focus of deadly anti-government protests, and authorities said he was among 58 foreign "mercenaries" detained.

His release comes despite sharply deteriorating U.S.-Venezuela ties. In January, President Nicolas Maduro announced he was breaking off diplomatic relations after the United States recognized National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate president.

Washington withdrew all remaining diplomatic personnel last month, as Venezuela suffers an economic crisis that has led to food and medicine shortages and prompted more than 3 million people to emigrate. Maduro, a socialist, calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.

In its statement, Leininger's family said he was moved from prison to prison in Venezuela and that prison officials "refused to comply" with orders for his release before he was freed on Thursday and flown to Miami.

"This was a long and often heart-breaking journey, but I am so grateful to be reunited with my son," said his mother Barbara Leininger, who lives in Bloomington, Indiana.

Neither Venezuela's Information Ministry nor its chief prosecutor's office responded to requests for comment.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a U.S. Department of State official called Leininger's release "long overdue," saying a Venezuelan judge had granted him parole in May 2018 due to good behavior and that a court had ordered his release in November.

"Since that time we have been pressing for his return to the United States," the official said, adding that the U.S. government was still concerned about six executives of U.S. refiner Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, who have been jailed in Venezuela since 2017.

Venezuelan rights groups have frequently reported delays in authorities' compliance with court orders for prisoners to be released.

Last year, Venezuelan authorities released an American missionary who had been held on weapons charges since 2016.

Speaking to Reuters in 2014, Barbara Leininger said her son had "some psychological issues" and had admitted to shooting a man in self-defense during what he described as an "altercation." </s> WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Venezuela to release opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who was sentenced last year to nearly 14 years in prison on charges of inciting anti-government protests in 2014.

"Venezuela should allow Leopoldo Lopez, a political prisoner & husband of @liliantintori (just met w/ @marcorubio) out of prison immediately," Trump said in a Twitter post.

Trump held a White House meeting with Lopez's wife, Lilian Tintori, and Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida on Wednesday. </s> MADRID: Fresh from his release after four years behind bars, Venezuelan opposition activist Lorent Saleh said Saturday he had seen the sunrise for the first time since he was detained as he arrived in Madrid.

Emotional, the 30-year-old spoke to reporters and Venezuelans at Madrid’s airport just a day after being freed from the cells of state intelligence services in Caracas. “After four years I can see the sunrise, I saw it today,” he said.

His release — which was welcome by Spain on Saturday — was such a surprise that he was still digesting it, he said.

“In Venezuela there are innocent people behind bars,” he added. They “deserve to cross the bridge like I did”. His release came just four days after Fernando Alban, a Caracas city council member accused of taking part in a failed drone attack on President Nicolas Maduro, died in pretrial detention, an incident that sparked international outrage.

Authorities say the 52-year-old committed suicide by jumping out of a 10th-floor window of the state intelligence service headquarters. But his supporters and family say he was tortured to death and then thrown out.
Miami native Todd Leininger is released from a Venezuelan prison after being detained for five years for allegedly aiding the opposition.