A year without Alberto Trentini, the Italian aid worker detained in Venezuela. His mother: "What was right was not done for my son."

365 Days to Come: Outrage and a Call for Truth

Saturday 15th November 2025, in the press room of the City of Milano, Alberto Trentini's mother, Armanda Colusso, chose to transform hope into a public appeal. “Patience has run out. What should have been done has not been done.”, he said with a firm voice, recalling that “until August the Italian government had not yet had any contact with the Venezuelan authorities". The son is, in fact, detained by a year in the prison of El Rodeo I, near Caracas, with charges never formalized beyond a generic charge of "conspiracy".

In twelve months, Colusso says, there have been three phone calls of the premier Giorgia Meloni, two meetings with the undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano and a constant dialogue with theLuigi Maria Vignali, special envoy for Italian prisoners in Venezuela. He emphasizes that, however, "for Alberto, what was necessary was not done".

From "necessary" silence to public mobilization

At first, the family reports, it was asked "silence" so as not to damage the aid worker's position. "We trusted him and operated in silence. But since we could no longer remain ignored, with our approval, aparliamentary question”, explains Colusso. Today, the strategy changes: speak it becomes a duty. "Just strong media pressure can convince those in power to act and finally bring him home.”

Who is Alberto Trentini and why was he in Venezuela?

Alberto Trentini, 46 years old, originally from Lido of Venice, is a humanitarian worker in international crisis contexts. In Venezuela he worked as a coordinator for the NGO Humanity & Inclusion, engaged in assisting the people with disabilities.
Il 15th November 2024, as he moved from Caracas to Guasdualito for service reasons, comes stopped and then arrested: since then he has been confined in El Rodeo I under conditions described as isolated and with mechanical restricted access to the family, lawyers and consular representatives.

Voices from the press conference: institutions, journalists, civil society

The Milanese meeting, coordinated by the president of Article 21 Beppe Giulietti, saw the participation – among others – of the family lawyer Alessandra Ballerini, of the sociologist Nando Dalla Chiesa, of the former magistrate Gherardo Colombo, of journalists Carl Verdelli e Fabio Fazio, of the president of the municipal council Elena Buscemi (“We renew the Municipality's commitment”), of the Giulio Regeni's parents and those of the photojournalist Andrea RochelliA symbolic audience, uniting civic engagement, the world of information, and justice.

"We miss Alberto every day“, the mother repeated. “My husband is not well. We have lived sleepless nights to imagine how Alberto is and what he is afraid of. He was deprived of a year of lifeChristmas, Easter, birthdays, walks, music, even the chance to read. In his cell he found a pair of glasses to try to study and stay clear-headed.
Today there should be no suffering, only informationI am convinced that only by talking to you journalists can we get help."

The final appeal of Armanda Colusso it is an invitation to civic mobilization"Alberto dedicated his life to others, now he needs you.: write about it, talk about it, insist, so that those who have to decide do it without further hesitation"

Three Phone Calls in a Year: Fragments of Voice Beyond the Wall

According to the family's reconstruction, Alberto managed to call three times in twelve months. A first, very short one, several months after the arrest; a second one approximately eight months after, with health concerns and calls to don't lose hope; the last one October 10, 2025, when he reassured the parents and urged them to “take care of each other".

An indirect testimony – that of a former cellmate Swiss – describes the prison with 2×2 meter cells shared by two people and difficult hygienic conditionsThe same story emphasizes how the Switzerland has negotiated and obtained the return of one's fellow countryman, as well as USA, Colombia and other countries they brought home some citizens detained in CaracasHence the family's warning: they are needed effective channels e determination.

Human Rights and the Legal Framework: Amnesty International and IACHR's Demands

Trentini's detention is framed by organizations for the human rights including arbitrary and part of a broader context of enforced disappearances e repression in Venezuela. Amnesty International denounces the lack of due process and the risk of ill-treatment. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) he asked precautionary measures: confirmation of the place of detention, regular contacts with family members, medical assistance and definition of the charges. So far, according to family reconstruction, no substantial answer she arrived from Caracas.

Difficult diplomacy between Rome and Caracas

The Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani ensures that Italy "he's always at work" for detained compatriots. However, a picture remains complex: bilateral relations with the government Maduro are cold, in fact, Italy has not recognized the legitimacy of the latest Venezuelan elections.

Per Alessandra Ballerini, legal representative of the family, the Italian State must "act as if Alberto were their son", pushing on every available channel. The failure to recognize the elections and the rigidity of relations have not made “fluids” contacts with the Venezuelan government, which uses foreign hostages to gain political legitimacy at the international level. Vatican diplomacy has been activated, as well as networks of the civil society: every glimmer of hope can turn into a channels.

What can happen now

The Trentini dossier remains in the balance between diplomatic negotiation e public pressureThe hope of the family and supporters is that the media attention – combined with institutional initiatives aim and international mediations – may break the deadlock and open to a release and alternative measures to detention pending clarification of the cooperator's position.