New Yorker James Luckey-Lange released among Americans freed in Venezuela

James Luckey-Lange, a 28-year-old New Yorker, was among several U.S. citizens released this week from Venezuela’s prison system, his family said. He had been reported missing in early December. Mr. Luckey-Lange, the son of the late musician Diane Luckey (known as Q Lazzarus), was confirmed released by his aunt.

His family said he had been on an extended trip through South America after the deaths of his parents when he crossed into Venezuela and was detained; it was unclear if he had a visa as Venezuelan law requires. He wrote on his blog in December that he was researching gold mining in the Amazon region of Guyana, recorded being in an unspecified location in Venezuela on Dec.

7, and last spoke to his family the next day while planning to travel to Caracas to catch a flight on Dec. 12. The releases were described in the report as a major step in the liberalization of Venezuela’s interim government and were said to be the first known Americans freed from the nation’s prisons since a U.S.

military attack that seized President Nicolás Maduro. The State Department said, “We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,” calling it “an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.” The report noted that under Mr. Maduro many political prisoners were held long term and that international detainees were sometimes used as bargaining chips and charged with vague offenses.

Key Topics

World, James Luckey-lange, Venezuela, Caracas, Q Lazzarus, State Department