L.A. public defender released after 21 months of being wrongfully detained in a Venezuelan prison

The Biden administration announced yesterday that Eyvin Hernandez, a Los Angeles County public defender who had been imprisoned in Venezuela since March 2022, would be returned to the United States as part of a prisoner swap deal.

“Today, ten Americans who have been detained in Venezuela have been released and are coming home, including all six wrongfully detained Americans,” the Joe Biden administration said in a press release. “These individuals have lost far too much precious time with their loved ones, and their families have suffered every day in their absence. I am grateful that their ordeal is finally over and that these families are being made whole once more.“

After 21 months in a Venezuelan prison, Hernandez is one of the former detainees who will be able to return home and celebrate the holidays with his family.

“On behalf of Eyvin Hernandez, his family and friends, we are happy to confirm that he has been released by Venezuela and will shortly touch down on U.S. soil. We were notified this morning that Eyvin was on his way home, an early Christmas present for our family,”his family said in a statement.

Hernandez was detained after deciding to go on a trip to Colombia as a small reward after working long hours and tireless days throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

He never boarded his plane that would land him back home on April 3 at LAX. Days before returning home to Los Angeles, Hernandez accompanied a Venezuelan friend to resolve a passport issue involving the friend’s stay in Venezuela.

At the Colombia-Venezuela border, Hernandez and his friend were intercepted by what his family thinks to have been a paramilitary group, a gang, or official Venezuelan forces. Hernandez and his friend were put behind a truck, turned over to Venezuelan security forces and placed in the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence, the maximum-security military prison in Caracas, Venezuela.

Hernandez faced criminal association and conspiracy charges, which are punishable by up to 16 years in jail in Venezuela. “They saw my brother was an American and they did not hesitate to take him,” Henry Martinez, Hernandez’s younger brother, told CALÒ NEWS earlier this year.

Since Hernendez’s arrest, his family has been advocating tirelessly for his release by holding vigils and meeting with county, state and country officials such as Karen Bass, Senator Alex Padilla and President Biden.

Hernandez's release was announced a year after Bass, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-San Pedro), and 20 other congressional representatives signed a letter addressed to President Biden, asking his administration to work to secure Hernandez’s freedom and liberation.

On Wednesday, Hernandez’s family said one of their primary concerns was the terrible conditions and abuse he had been enduring for almost two years. “Our first priority is to ensure that he gets the medical support he needs so that he can recover from his time in captivity. He will talk about his experience when he is ready. For now, we want to thank everyone who helped obtain Eyvin's release,” his family said in the statement.

Conditions that Osman Khan, a prison mate of Hernandez's, described as being part of a "torture house," in a January interview with CALÒ NEWS.

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, where Hernandez has worked since 2006, helping people experiencing homelessness, mental illness and substance abuse, also released a statement commemorating his release.

In a statement from Union President Garrett Miller, he said he was thrilled that this ordeal was finally over. “I can't even imagine how traumatizing this has been for Eyvin, and our union will do all it can to support him in the coming months,“ he said. “Eyvin has been deeply missed by his fellow Local 148 members, and we can't wait to see him again. I'm grateful to Eyvin's family for their tireless advocacy and also want to thank Local 148 board member Drew Havens, who worked alongside them advocating for Eyvin's release.”

Hernandez was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States when he was just a toddler. He has lived in several communities in Los Angeles, including Pico-Union, Lawndale, Baldwin Village and South Central Los Angeles.