Dutch man reported missing three months after arrest in Venezuela

A 32-year-old Dutchman has been missing in Venezuela for three months after he was arrested at an airport in their country’s capital city, Caracas. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that they are aware of the case after an article was published by Trouw. The ministry is currently in contact with the man’s family and is providing consular assistance where possible.

The spokesperson could not say anything more about the case for privacy reasons. Trouw reported that the Dutchman went from Lisbon to Caracas on December 24 to visit a friend for the holidays.

Upon arrival at the airport, he was arrested by Venezuelan customs, and since then, there has been no sign of him, the newspaper reported. It is stated in the article that the reason for his arrest is unknown, and the Venezuelan authorities would not share any information regarding the arrest.

According to Trouw, there are dozens of similar stories. The newspaper wrote that the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal sees these people as foreign hostages who have been arrested for political reasons.

The spokesperson for the ministry has said that no other cases regarding Dutch people are known to them at this time.

The Netherlands and Venezuela do not have the best relationship. Last year, the Netherlands secretly provided shelter to Edmundo Gonzales, who was allegedly about to win the election for the Venezuelan presidency before the current president, Nicolas Maduro, was elected with no evidence given to how he won. Gonzales was then housed in Spain.

This led to Venezuela taking action to restrict the number of Dutch diplomats in the country. The diplomats also now have to obtain permission from the government to travel more than 40 kilometers from Plaza Bolivar in Caracas.