Release of political prisoners in Venezuela: a gesture of openness under Trump’s shadow
The government of Nicolás Maduro has let out nearly 100 dissidents, the largest number in a year. But NGOs note there are still around 1,000 opponents behind bars
As political and military tensions between Venezuela and the United States reached their peak, Nicolás Maduro’s government decided to release 99 political prisoners on Christmas Day, the highest number in 12 months. The previous act of clemency for imprisoned politicians and activists took place on August 2, when 13 prisoners were released from prison with alternative judicial conditions. In December 2024, nearly 100 prisoners were released from Chavista prisons, the vast majority of whom had been jailed for participating in anti-government protests following the presidential election.
The Chavista regime has made a calculated gesture to ease the pressure it is feeling, but without showing any signs of weakness or excessive magnanimity. The released prisoners are a small share of the nearly 1,000 (according to the NGOs Provea and Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón) who remain behind bars.
The vast majority of them were prosecuted following the protests that erupted after the presidential elections of July 28, 2024, which were considered fraudulent by the opposition and by much of the international community. To date, no high-profile politicians or activists are known to have benefited from these alternative legal measures, among the many who remain behind bars.
The names of all the individuals released on Christmas Day have not yet been made public. One of them is reportedly Professor Marggie Orozco, sentenced to 30 years in prison a few weeks ago for critical content against the Maduro government that she allegedly posted in a WhatsApp chain message. At least 65 men were released from Tocorón prison in north-central Venezuela, and three women were released from the Las Crisálidas detention center. There are also three teenagers ho had been detained at police checkpoints in the coastal state of Vargas, near Caracas.
The non-profit Justicia Encuentro y Perdón issued a statement acknowledging the positive impact of the measure on the released individuals, but asserting that it is “clearly insufficient, compared to the 1,085 people imprisoned for political reasons, as recorded in our databases.” This group said that “the partial release of arbitrarily detained individuals does not remedy the underlying illegality.” It noted that “the selective and discretionary nature of these releases confirms that imprisonment has been used as an instrument of political persecution.”
The release of these political prisoners in no way represents a genuine policy of détente with the country’s political and social opposition, which currently constitutes a large majority in Venezuela. Quite the contrary: Washington’s pressure is providing the Maduro government with arguments and inspiration to continue radicalizing the Bolivarian Revolution through the approval of new punitive laws, a proliferation of arrests under dubious circumstances, and increased censorship of the media.
During these past few weeks, state security forces have intensified their crackdown on political and civil dissent, imprisoning new opposition leaders as the U.S. siege of Venezuelan shores escalates. The latest arrests include the political scientist Nicmer Evans; the union leaders José Elías Torres and William Lizardo; and the political activist Melquíades Pulido, a member of the Vente Venezuela party.
Last week, in a case that generated enormous public outcry, Gabriel Rodríguez, an underage student, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “terrorism” for his participation in the popular protests of August of last year, which followed the presidential elections. The non-profit Foro Penal estimates that there are just over 800 political prisoners in the country.
In its statement, Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón reiterates its call for a general amnesty for all political prisoners, a demand that is frequently raised by social and human rights organizations. “Freedom cannot be granted as a prerogative, but must be a right, and it must be restored to all those who have been arbitrarily arrested,” the organization maintains.
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