The Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, arbitrarily detained for almost a year in Venezuela, will appear this April 30 before federal judge Sebastián Ramos as a witness in the investigation being followed in Argentina against Nicolás Maduro, Minister Diosdado Cabello and twelve other people for alleged systematic violations of human rights in Venezuela.
The case investigates acts of repression against opponents, which include arbitrary arrests, torture and other practices reported as part of a state policy, according to the local press.
Gallo’s testimony was requested in March by lawyer Tomás Farini Duggan, representative of victims of human rights violations residing in Argentina. The magistrate accepted the request, although he previously requested a report on the gendarme’s condition to testify under oath.
Nahuel Gallo remained deprived of his freedom for 448 days. He was detained in December 2024 on the border between Venezuela and Colombia, transferred without formal process to the El Helicoide detention center in Caracas and then sent to the Rodeo 1 prison.
The complaint maintains that people deprived of liberty in these spaces suffer torture, threats and systematic transfers with the aim of breaking their will. Gallo is in the process of recovery after his release in early March 2026.
The summons comes a few days after Gallo himself requested to be recognized as a private accuser and victim in the case. Judge Ramos considered that his statement may provide direct knowledge of events “reported as being carried out by the structure of the Venezuelan State.”
The declaration will be made virtually. Prosecutor Carlos Stornelli and plaintiff Tomás Farini Duggan will participate. Lawyer Fernando Sicilia, defender of Justo José Noguera Pietri (one of the accused), asked to attend, although he has not yet received authorization or formal notification.
The file is processed under the principle of universal justice. In previous stages, after appeals from the Clooney Foundation and the Argentine Forum for Democracy, Judge Ramos ordered the international capture of Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello and the rest of the defendants, and requested their extradition.
Nahuel Gallo, first corporal of the Argentine National Gendarmerie, returned to his country visibly affected after more than 14 months of detention. In his first public statements he avoided detailing the “atrocities” suffered, although he described El Rodeo 1 as a place of severe psychological torture where political prisoners of various nationalities were held.
The Argentine federal Justice is advancing in a case that investigates Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials for alleged crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela. The file, which is being processed in Comodoro Py under the principle of universal jurisdiction, accumulates testimonies and evidence about an alleged systematic plan of repression against opponents.
The initial complaint was filed in 2023 by the Argentine Forum for the Defense of Democracy (FADD) and the Clooney Foundation for Justice. It is based on testimonies from Venezuelan victims residing in Argentina and on reports from international organizations. Argentina applies the principle of universal justice, which allows crimes against humanity to be investigated and prosecuted regardless of the place where they were committed or the nationality of those responsible and the victims.
