Another Hungarian citizen has been released from prison in Venezuela, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó announced on Friday.
According to his statement, Venezuelan authorities freed a Hungarian woman in the presence of Hungary’s honorary consul. The woman had previously been detained as a member of the international crew of a research vessel.
Szijjártó said the Hungarian government worked closely with the Dutch consulate in Caracas to secure her release, and has also been coordinating with US authorities since what he described as a recent American operation in the Venezuelan capital.
‘These efforts have now paid off,’ the minister said, adding that the woman is now free and safe, accompanied by Hungary’s honorary consul in Caracas, while arrangements are underway for her return home.
Szijjártó noted that with the latest release, two out of three Hungarian citizens previously held in Venezuela have now been freed. He added that one Hungarian national remains in custody, and that the government will continue to take the necessary steps to secure their release.
The foreign minister expressed gratitude to Dutch officials in Caracas for their cooperation, as well as to US authorities for their continued coordination with Hungary in efforts to free Hungarian citizens imprisoned in Venezuela.
Although Szijjártó did not name the Hungarian citizen released from prison in Venezuela, it was previously reported that Zsuzsanna Bossányi had been detained since last year. The journalist was reportedly arrested after approaching the Venezuelan coast with a group searching for shipwrecks from World War I and World War II.
The first of the three Hungarian citizens detained in Venezuelan prisons was released on 13 January. ‘We continue our efforts to secure the release of our other two compatriots,’ Szijjártó wrote on X at the time.
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