Portugal welcomes release of Portuguese-Venezuelan citizen

Tuesday, 21 April 2026AI summary
Portugal welcomes release of Portuguese-Venezuelan citizen
Photo: RTP Notícias

The Portuguese government has confirmed the release of Héctor Ferreira Domingues, a Portuguese-Venezuelan citizen who had been detained in Venezuela since September 2022. Minister of Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel expressed solidarity with the family and stated that the government will continue to work for the release of other political prisoners still held in the country. Domingues was previously sentenced to 18 years in prison following a raid on a uniform factory he managed in Caracas.

Context & Explainers

Paulo Rangel is a Portuguese politician from the Social Democratic Party (Partido Social Democrata or PSD) who has been a prominent voice on defence and foreign‑policy issues and has served in the European Parliament. He appears in this story because he commented publicly on the controversy over Lajes Air Base being used to refuel US planes.