A Venezuelan EMTRASUR crew member controversially detained in Argentina reunites with his wife and son thanks to an initiative of the Venezuelan government. Photo: Twitter/@TransporteGobVe.
This Thursday, August 25, Venezuela’s national government launched a special mission to reunite the EMTRASUR Boeing 747 crew members, who have been illegally detained in Argentina since June 6, with their relatives.
“On instructions from President Nicolás Maduro, we launched a special mission to reunite the EMTRASUR crew members with their families. Our humanist and socialist government is in solidarity with those in need. The fight for the release of the crew continues,” the Minister for Transportation and president of the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services SA (Conviasa), Ramón Celestino Velásquez, reported on Twitter.
#25Ago Por instrucciones del presidente @NicolasMaduro activamos una misión especial para reencontrar a los tripulantes de Emtrasur con sus familiares. Nuestro gobierno humanista y socialista es solidario con quien lo necesita. Sigue la lucha por la liberación de la tripulación pic.twitter.com/cbb434XHPM
— Ramón Celestino Velásquez Araguayán (@rvaraguayan) August 25, 2022
Reunion trip
To initiate the plan, the Ministry of People’s Power for Transportation scheduled a charter flight through Conviasa to escort 27 passengers, relatives of the EMTRASUR crew members, to Argentina.
The plane took off at 1:00 a.m. this Thursday from the Simón Bolívar International Airport and will arrive at the Viru Viru International Airport in Bolivia, from where they will connect to Buenos Aires.
Support for EMTRASUR crew members
It is important to note that since the first day of the illegal detention, the EMTRASUR crew has had the support of the national executive and the Venezuelan people, who have been continually mobilizing to demand the return of the plane and the release of the crew.
Despite lacking justification for the arrest, the Argentinian judiciary made baseless accusations against the crew members, classifying them as terrorists. However, the Venezuelan government, with convincing evidence, has shown that they are workers of an airline that offers cargo transport services and carries out humanitarian operations.
RELATED CONTENT: Washington Escalates Hijacking of Venezuela’s EMTRASUR Boeing 747
Joyful expectations
José Ramírez Valdivieso, the son of Victoria Valdivieso, the only female cabin crew member of the EMTRASUR aircraft, thanked the logistical and operational efforts that made this operation possible. “I feel great, I haven’t seen her in a while, she misses me like I miss her, we’re going to spend quality time together. The first thing I will do when I see her is hug her and tell her that I miss her very much,” he said.
Isabel Cabello, wife of the aeronautical maintenance technician José García, expressed her joy just hours after reuniting with her family. “We are extremely excited and grateful for the support of EMTRASUR, Conviasa and all the people who have been involved in this process and have made it possible. What we hope with this is to bring back our relatives, to bring us back our plane,” said Cabello, who traveled to Argentina with her son to reunite with García.
#Enhorabuena la felicidad llega a los tripulantes del avión de #EMTRASUR secuestrado en Argentina por los EEUU, gracias a un vuelo especial de @LAConviasa aerolínea revolucionaria de paz.@NicolasMaduro @rvaraguayan #DevuelvanElAvión #DevueltaLosQueremos pic.twitter.com/xJfWvyHAcZ
— Ministerio del Poder Popular para el Transporte (@TransporteGobVe) August 25, 2022
“Happiness reaches the crew members of the EMTRASUR plane hijacked in Argentina by the US, thanks to a special flight from Conviasa, an airline for revolutionary peace,” announced the Ministry for Transportation on Twitter, accompanied by images of the sentimental reunions.
(Últimas Noticias) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/KZ/KWJ/EF
