The Argentine government has repeatedly reiterated its demand for his release, stating that it is an illegal detention, while from the Venezuelan state apparatus, generic and changing accusations have been maintained, linked to alleged conspiracy or terrorism activities. The possible release, if confirmed, would be a huge turn after a year of demands, negotiations, and emotional wear that became public on repeated occasions. So far, there has been no official statement from the Public Ministry or penitentiary bodies that allows to confirm the release, a pattern that has been repeated in other episodes of partial or progressive releases that occurred within the framework of the new amnesty law. But the same family and those who accompany them admit that, without a document, a consular notification, or official confirmation, the expectation coexists with the fear of a false alarm. In El Rodeo I prison, where high-profile detainees and political prisoners are held, the climate of recent days has been marked by a trickle of releases and by the pressure of relatives who, in some cases, wait for hours outside trying to confirm the lists of those leaving. In parallel, versions were circulating about protest measures inside the prison, including a hunger strike by political prisoners, in a climate of tension due to conditions of confinement and administrative delays. The political context in Venezuela adds a decisive layer: the country is undergoing a broad—and controversial—process of releases after the entry into force of an amnesty law approved in February. Even so, the critical point remains confirmation: without independent validation, the episode remains as “possible” and not as “fact”. These hours, attention is focused on two concrete signals: if there is a formal recognition from the Venezuelan state and if the Argentine government, through its consular representation or diplomatic channels, can verify the whereabouts and condition of Gallo. For now, however, there is no official confirmation from Venezuelan authorities or a formal announcement from the Argentine government, so the information remains in the realm of versions that have emerged from inside the prison and accounts from relatives. The recordings, disseminated by those close to detainees, show prisoners communicating with their families and repeating the same message: that Gallo would have been released in the last few hours. In Buenos Aires, the immediate reaction was one of prudence: the case is followed minute by minute, but a verifiable confirmation is expected before considering the release as a fact. The official secrecy in Caracas is a central element of the picture. Until that happens, the story will continue to be written in the potential. The NGO Foro Penal, one of the main independent monitoring sources, publicly emphasized that in Gallo's case, an amnesty would not be necessary to resolve his situation, and described him as a foreign hostage detained without justification. In this scenario, the case of the Argentine gendarme has become a point of recurring friction between Buenos Aires and Caracas. Diplomatically, the lack of verifiable information and the opacity of the file have fueled suspicions of arbitrariness and political use of the case. The human factor also weighs heavily, which at these hours returns to the center: the Gallo family maintained a sustained campaign for months to publicize his situation, demand basic guarantees, and achieve some channel of communication. In this case, the lack of formal notification is more sensitive: Gallo is a foreign citizen and a member of the Argentine National Gendarmerie, detained in a context that human rights organizations and NGOs describe as a logic of political detentions or diplomatic pressure. The dissemination of the videos also comes after recent signals that had reactivated hope. In that framework, the versions disseminated this Sunday also included mentions of other foreigners, suggesting that it could be a more segment of a staggered process. Days ago it was reported that Gallo had managed to communicate with his family for the first time after a prolonged period of isolation, a fact interpreted as a possible anticipation of changes in his procedural or prison situation. His partner, María Alexandra Gómez, publicly recounted the emotional impact of that call, which had a strong echo in Argentina and was read as a “good sign” by those closely following the case. The scene, recorded amidst the noise of a pavilion with overlapping voices, spread rapidly on social networks and in the media, fueling the expectation of a denouement that the family and the Argentine state have been demanding for more than a year. According to data disseminated by the Venezuelan National Assembly, thousands of people benefited from the lifting of measures and full freedoms, although specialized organizations in political prisoners maintain that the real scope is more limited, that subsequent restrictions persist, and that many cases fall outside the legal framework.
