Venezuela authorizes the release of another 87 political prisoners

On New Year’s Eve, the Nicolás Maduro regime authorized the release of another 87 political prisoners in Venezuela. This information has been confirmed by civil organizations that advocate for the prisoners, such as the NGO Justicia, Encuentro y Perdon (Justice, Encounter, and Forgiveness, or JEyP), and the Comité de Madres en Defensa de la Verdad (Committee of Mothers in Defense of the Truth). The vast majority of the prisoners were being held in Tocorón prison, an hour and a half from Caracas, for taking part in the massive popular protests that challenged Nicolás Maduro’s victory in the 2024 presidential elections.

Once the releases were authorized, the civil association JEyP reported that, so far, 33 of them have actually been carried out. Information about political prisoners in Venezuela often has a subtext that gives rise to confusion and frequent misinterpretations. At times, the Venezuelan regime does not free all the prisoners it announces, or delays the execution of many releases, sparking anxiety among affected families. At Christmas, the Maduro government announced the release of 99 political prisoners. The organization Foro Penal, a leading authority on the matter, had registered 61 as of December 30.

Currently, including the announced releases, there are still approximately 720 political prisoners in Venezuela, the highest number in the entire Western Hemisphere. The Maduro government has been authorizing these pardons throughout the past year, which have benefited hundreds of people. But the move comes only after having lashed out ferociously against the population in the weeks following the July 2024 presidential elections. In the second half of last year, after those controversial elections, 2,000 people were taken to prison. The Tocorón prison, in Aragua State — traditionally a judicial center for common criminals — was then expanded to make room for the new political prisoners, who were already overcrowded in other jails.

The political prisoners who benefited from these measures, including those released on Christmas Day, do not enjoy full freedom: they will remain under precautionary measures, with mandatory court appearances and additional restrictions.

While acknowledging the relief that a measure like this brings to these activists and their families, civil society organizations issued a renewed call to the authorities of the Maduro regime to declare a general amnesty. All have described the arrests and judicial punishment of these citizens as “arbitrary and unjustified.”

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