(MENAFN) El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has appealed to Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, suggesting a compassionate exchange involving detainees.

In a post made Sunday on X, Bukele proposed, "a humanitarian agreement that includes the repatriation of 100% of the 252 Venezuelans who were deported, in exchange for the release and handover of an identical number (252) of the thousands of political prisoners you are holding." This appeal was framed in the context of Maduro's frequent statements encouraging Venezuelans abroad to come back voluntarily.

Bukele stressed that, contrary to Maduro's government, El Salvador does not incarcerate individuals based on political beliefs. "Unlike you, who holds political prisoners, we do not have political prisoners. All the Venezuelans we have in custody were detained as part of an operation against gangs like the Tren de Aragua in the US," he explained. According to him, the detained Venezuelans were apprehended as part of broader efforts to combat organized crime, not due to their political positions.

The Salvadoran president underscored that the individuals held in his country were involved in violent offenses. "Unlike our detainees -- many of whom have committed murder, others rape, and some who had even been arrested multiple times before being deported -- your political prisoners have committed no crime," Bukele stated.

He argued that those jailed in Venezuela are imprisoned merely for expressing dissent or challenging electoral integrity.

He further referenced specific individuals who, he claimed, are unjustly incarcerated or targeted by Maduro’s administration. "Among them: Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of Edmundo Gonzalez; journalist Roland Carreno; lawyer and activist Rocio San Miguel; Mrs. Corina Parisca de Machado, mother of Maria Corina Machado, who is harassed daily and has her access to basic services like electricity and water sabotaged," Bukele wrote, highlighting the alleged persecution faced by relatives of opposition figures, journalists, and human rights advocates.

Through this proposed prisoner exchange, Bukele positions himself as advocating for humanitarian values while drawing attention to the Venezuelan regime’s treatment of its political opposition.

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