Video: Joshua Holt jailed in Venezuela pleas for freedom

A Utah man imprisoned in Venezuela is pleading for Americans’ help getting out of a Caracas jail where he has been held for two years without trial.

In two short videos shot on a cellphone and posted Wednesday on his Facebook page, Joshua Holt said his life was threatened during a disturbance by inmates who include President Nicolas Maduro’s top opponents. Venezuela’s chief prosecutor sent a commission to the jail to discuss the prisoners’ demands.

“I need help. So they’ve taken the entire prison where I’m at. The people have taken the entire prison. They are outside. They are trying to break in. They are saying that they want to kill me. They are saying they want me as a guarantee. I need help.”

The 26-year-old Holt traveled to Venezuela in 2016 to marry a fellow Mormon he met on the internet. Shortly afterward, the couple was arrested at her family’s apartment after police alleged he was stockpiling weapons.

“I need… I am calling on the people of America, I need your help to get me out of this place. I have been begging my government for two years. They say they are doing things but I am still here. And now my life is threatened. How long do I have to suffer here. How long do my kids have to go asking for their mommy and daddy. How long do I have to suffer?”

The U.S. Embassy said in a message on social media that the Venezuelan government is directly responsible for Holt’s safety.