"MADURO'S BUTCHER" SPOTTED IN SPAIN, BYPASSING EU TRAVEL BAN
A Venezuelan colonel accused of torture and human rights abuses, Alexander Granko, reportedly walked the Camino de Santiago this summer despite being under an EU travel ban. His presence in Spain, documented on social media, has sparked a political controversy and raised serious questions about the effectiveness of international sanctions.
Alexander Enrique Granko Arteaga, a Venezuelan colonel known as "Maduro's Butcher" for his role in the country's brutal repression, appears to have traveled to Spain this summer. The news, first broken by the Spanish newspaper Vozpópuli, was confirmed by posts on Granko's social media accounts, which showed him walking the Camino de Santiago, a famous pilgrimage route.
Granko has been under an EU travel ban since 2019, and his assets are frozen. The sanctions were imposed in response to numerous human rights violations he's accused of, including torture, sexual violence, arbitrary detention, and forced disappearances.
On his Instagram, Granko posted stories showing him getting his "pilgrim's credential" stamped at a Spanish Civil Guard office. While these stories have since disappeared, they sparked a political uproar. The Spanish government has not yet commented on the matter, but Granko's ability to enter the country despite the ban would suggest he received an official exception, possibly from the government of Pedro Sánchez, to prevent his arrest.
In light of these revelations, the opposition Popular Party (PP) has demanded an official explanation. Esteban González Pons, a PP Member of the European Parliament, publicly questioned how the head of Venezuelan counterintelligence, who is accused of torture and barred from entry, was able to freely enjoy a pilgrimage in Spain.
