Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners, rights group says

By The Inspirer.

A leading Venezuelan human rights organisation says at least 80 political prisoners have been released amid pressure from the United States.

Alfredo Romero, head of Foro Penal, said the group was verifying the identities of those freed from prisons across the country on Saturday, adding that further releases were likely.

The move marks the latest batch of detainees freed since the United States seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a raid earlier this month and transferred him to New York to stand trial on drug-trafficking charges.

On Friday, Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez said more than 600 prisoners had been released. However, Foro Penal says the figure is exaggerated.

Romero announced the releases on social media, posting an image of Foro Penal colleague Kennedy Tejeda, whom he said had been held at Tocorón prison, west of the capital Caracas, since August 2024.

In a post on X, Foro Penal lawyer Gonzalo Himiob said the number of releases could rise beyond 80 “as we proceed with verification”.

Previously, Foro Penal said many of those freed in recent weeks have not had the charges against them formally dropped, leaving them in legal limbo. As a result, they remain barred from speaking publicly, the group said.

Before this weekend’s developments, Foro Penal had confirmed the release of only 156 political prisoners since 8 January.

Those freed so far include several domestic opposition figures and at least five Spanish nationals.

Separately, Rodríguez said she was scheduled to hold a call on Monday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to request UN verification of the lists of those released.

Human rights groups and activists have long accused the Venezuelan government of using detentions to silence critics. Authorities deny holding political prisoners, insisting those arrested were detained for criminal offences.

Many of the detainees were arrested following the disputed 2024 presidential election, in which Maduro claimed victory despite challenges from opposition groups and several countries.

BBC News