Five Venezuelan dissidents who had sought refuge in Argentina’s embassy in Caracas have escaped the country after more than a year in hiding, in what sources described as a covert military operation led by the United States.

Their departure marks the end of a 412-day diplomatic standoff that had drawn international attention.

The Maduro government claimed the release was the result of an agreement between both sides, but Infobae reported that the extraction was orchestrated directly from Washington. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the mission, calling it a “successful rescue” and criticising the Maduro regime for its abuses and threats to regional stability.

“The US welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas,” Rubio wrote on X. “We extend our gratitude to all personnel involved in this operation and to our partners who assisted in securing the safe liberation of these Venezuelan heroes.”

The dissidents—Magalli Meda, Claudia Macero, Omar González, Pedro Urruchurtu and Humberto Villalobos—entered the Argentine embassy on March 20, 2024, following political persecution for their links to opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election on trumped-up charges and replaced by Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. 

From the outset, they faced intense pressure from state authorities, including surveillance, blocked access, and months without electricity or running water.

Conditions worsened after tensions flared between Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Nicolás Maduro, prompting Buenos Aires to withdraw its diplomats. 

Brazil took temporary custody of the mission, but the vacuum left the dissidents increasingly exposed. With basic services cut and limited supplies, they reportedly survived on canned food and solar power.

The escape prompted swift praise from opposition leaders. Machado, currently living in hiding and barred from leaving the country, hailed the operation as “epic,” vowing to fight for the hundreds of political prisoners still held in Venezuela. González Urrutia, who many Western nations recognise as president-elect following last year's fraud-marred election, also lauded the effort, calling it “impeccable.”

One of the original group, Fernando Martínez Mottola, was allowed by the Maduro regime to leave the embassy last December on compassionate grounds but died two months later due to illness. In their final public appeal before escaping, the group lashed out at the Brazilian government for what they described as a "lack of urgency" compared to other cases involving politically sensitive asylum.