Families of Colombian detainees hoped a high‑profile diplomatic hand‑over at the Atanasio Girardot Binational Bridge would bring their loved ones home, but the meeting between Presidents Gustavo Petro and Delcy Rodríguez was cancelled at the last minute.
Javier Giraldo, whose father—70‑year‑old Colombian Javier Giraldo García—has spent four years in Venezuela’s El Rodeo III prison, arrived at the bridge on Friday to display a sign pleading for his release. His plan evaporated when both governments announced the cancellation on Thursday night, citing “unforeseen circumstances” without providing further detail.
The aborted summit marks the third disappointment for Giraldo this year. Earlier hopes had been dashed after a U.S. military operation in January that led to the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro, and again when Venezuela’s legislature passed an amnesty law for political prisoners—neither of which resulted in his father’s freedom.
Colombia’s foreign ministry says the two countries have been releasing prisoners gradually since 2025, yet human‑rights group Foro Penal tallies at least eight Colombians and 11 Colombian‑Venezuelans still behind bars in Venezuela. Relatives of those detained have taken to the bridge in sporadic protests, hoping the diplomatic channel will yield a concrete hand‑over.
Ninfa Rebolledo, another protester, spoke of her son Albeiro Guevara, who has been imprisoned for more than six years on “aggravated trafficking in transport” charges—a crime he insists he did not commit. “They told us they would bring the prisoners over and hand them over right here at the bridge,” Rebolledo said, noting she talks with her son by phone only every two weeks.
There was no activity at the bridge after the meeting’s cancellation, and no sign of any hand‑over. Colombia and Venezuela issued a joint statement Thursday night affirming that a future meeting will be scheduled, but offered no specifics on timing or format.
The stalled talks highlight the fragile state of Colombia‑Venezuela relations and the human toll of prolonged detentions. As families wait for any sign of progress, the diplomatic impasse leaves them in limbo, underscoring the broader humanitarian dimension of the two nations’ unfinished negotiations.