Senator Patricia Bullrich joined a gathering of Venezuelans in front of the Obelisco in Buenos Aires on Sunday to celebrate Nicolás Maduro's capture and demand the release of Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, detained in Venezuela since December 2024. The event drew over a thousand people in an atmosphere of hope for a democratic transition. Bullrich also called for the freedom of lawyer Germán Giuliani and other political prisoners.
On Sunday, January 4, 2026, Venezuelans living in Argentina gathered in front of the Obelisco in Buenos Aires from 3 p.m. to celebrate Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces and voice their hopes for a democratic transition in their country, after years of institutional crisis, mass migration, and human rights violations.
Patricia Bullrich, head of the La Libertad Avanza Senate bloc, joined the event organized by the Alianza por Venezuela, a network of groups supporting migrants and defending democracy. There, Bullrich demanded the "immediate release" of gendarme Nahuel Gallo, detained in December 2024 while trying to enter Venezuela from Colombia to visit his partner and young son. "We want the immediate freedom of Nahuel Gallo, as well as all those illegally detained in Venezuela, including lawyer Germán Giuliani," Bullrich stated, noting that Gallo is a member of an Argentine security force and that no official information was received about his whereabouts.
The gathering featured live music, chants, Venezuelan flags, and traditional food stalls, attracting over a thousand attendees. Willy Mendoza, a Venezuelan musician based in Argentina for eight years, said: "At this moment, every Venezuelan feels a beautiful emotion. They forced us to have a different life. Today many feel that the system is starting to break".
María Alexandra Gómez, Gallo's partner, spoke through tears: "I've been fighting for his freedom for 392 days. Let's demand the freedom of political prisoners". Other speakers included Elisa Trotta, former Venezuelan ambassador to Argentina, who thanked Argentine support, and former political prisoner Richard Blanco, who backed María Corina Machado.
Bullrich warned that the process in Venezuela will be "complex" and expressed skepticism about the current authorities. The event ended with chants for human rights and the return of emigrants. Meanwhile, the Argentine government trusts in U.S. assistance during the transition to advance the release of Gallo and other foreigners.
