Senior Officials in DC Met with the Families of Airan Berry and Luke Denman

Throughout the week of March 15th, officials from the Biden Administration and senior senators’ offices in Washington DC met with family representatives and Richardson Center VP, Michael Bergman, seeking information about Luke Denman and Airan Berry’s continued detention in Venezuela. 

Since their capture in May, we have been deeply concerned about their humane treatment and the lack of due process. It was only recently that we got news to Luke and Airan that they were sentenced to 20 years. Neither of them were aware of this, even long after it was news in the United States. They have not yet had the benefit of independent legal representation

While recent reports indicate they are generally healthy and are not being physically abused, this was not the case early in their detention. Interrogation videos widely circulated after their capture showed severe weight loss, and they appeared disoriented.

The United States Government has only had minimal involvement until now.   The lack of a functioning US embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, has made US government engagement even more difficult. 

The US government officials in Washington DC were sincerely interested in learning more about the details of Luke and Airan’s detention and discussing what options exist to get these two veterans home. They expressed great concern for their wellbeing and the murky situation surrounding their capture. We fully expect to have continued dialog as the Biden administration fills more appointments and defines its Venezuela policy.