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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Washington man detained in Venezuela for several months is released

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro during the activities on the "International Day Of Families" on May 15 in Caracas, Venezuela.  (Getty Images)
By Lauren Girgis Seattle Times

SEATTLE – A Washington veteran who was wrongfully detained in Venezuela for several months has been released, according to Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

U.S. Air Force veteran Joseph St. Clair, 33, had been held in a notorious Venezuelan prison for about six months. His family members, who live in Kitsap County, last heard from him before Thanksgiving.

“This news came suddenly, and we are still processing it – but we are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude,” Scott and Patti St. Clair, Joseph’s parents, said in a statement.

The family thanked President Donald Trump and U.S. diplomats for “their leadership, commitment, and care in helping bring Joe home,” the statement said.

Cantwell said in a statement Tuesday morning she is “thrilled Joe has been released and will be reunited with his family.”

“His parents were relentless advocates for their son,” Cantwell’s statement said. “I thank the Trump administration for working to secure his release.”

St. Clair completed four tours in Afghanistan and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. He came home with post-traumatic stress disorder and was seeking treatment for it in Colombia, where he traveled last year. At some point while traveling in or around Colombia, U.S. officials believe, he was detained by the Venezuelan government.

Americans detained in Venezuela face human rights abuses, according to the State Department. Most do not have access to a lawyer and only limited contact with family members, who worry they could be subject to torture, as past American detainees have said they were.

Six American prisoners were freed from Venezuela in late January, their freedom secured after an unusual and highly public visit by U.S. special presidential envoy Richard Grenell with autocrat Nicolás Maduro. The St. Clair family learned from the freed hostages that Joseph was also detained, according to Joseph’s father.

The St. Clairs have spent the past few months meeting with State Department officials and talking with media outlets to share their son’s story and advocate for his release.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday St. Clair’s release was a move Maduro’s government made in hopes it could improve bilateral relations and encourage the Trump administration to allow Western oil companies to continue operating.

Trump’s envoy, Grenell, oversaw St. Clair’s release during a handover with Venezuelan authorities in Antigua and Barbuda, people with knowledge of the negotiation told the Wall Street Journal. St. Clair was expected to arrive in the U.S. aboard a private chartered jet later Tuesday.

“We remain in prayer and solidarity with the families of those who are still being held,” the St. Clairs said in the statement. “We will never stop loving and supporting them as they continue their fight to be reunited with their loved ones.”