France secures release of French-Chilean yoga teacher held in Venezuela

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FILE - France's outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot speaks to the media after Mideast talks with his counterparts from European and Arab countries and French President Emmanuel Macron at the foreign ministry in Paris, Thursday Oct. 9, 2025. (Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool Photo via AP, File)

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4:14 AM on Sunday, November 16

The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France's government on Sunday announced the release of a French-Chilean national who had been held for four months in Venezuela.

A tired-looking Camilo Castro was flown back to France, landing Sunday at Paris' Orly airport. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot credited the country's diplomacy for obtaining Castro's release from prison.

In a post on X, President Emmanuel Macron expressed relief that Castro was free.

“France sometimes advances quietly, but always with determination and composure: That is how we protect our own,” Macron wrote.

Castro lives in Colombia and went missing in June after he crossed into neighboring Venezuela in what the 41-year-old yoga teacher hoped would be a quick there-and-back trip to extend his Colombian visa, according to Amnesty International.