Venezuela announces the release of 116 political prisoners

The government of Venezuela has announced the release of 116 political prisoners. Non-profit groups have for now confirmed that 24 individuals were freed in the early hours of Monday morning, including two Italians and the dual Spanish‑Venezuelan citizen Alejandro González, the former husband of lawyer, human rights defender, and academic Rocío San Miguel. The statement from the Ministry for Prison Services notes that “these measures have benefited individuals deprived of their liberty for acts associated with disrupting the constitutional order and undermining the stability of the nation.”

Activist Rocío San Miguel, an expert on the Venezuelan military, was released from prison on January 10 along with four Spanish citizens, after spending two years in the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) prison, El Helicoide. She was accused of being part of a conspiracy against then-President Nicolás Maduro. Her ex-partner, Alejandro González de Canales, is a retired member of the Venezuelan military and was arrested on the same day, February 9, 2024. At the time, he was working as a manager for the Chevron oil company, where he was in charge of coordinating flights for company employees and executives. He was accused of revealing political and military secrets concerning national security, obstruction of justice, and criminal association.

Italian aid worker Alberto Trentini and businessman Mario Burlò were released early Monday morning from El Rodeo I prison in Caracas. They are reported to be in good condition and are staying at the Italian Embassy in the capital, where they are expected to return to Italy in the coming hours, announced Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. “I spoke with our two compatriots: they are well and will soon return to Italy,” Tajani told Spanish new agency EFE, adding that “the plane taking them home has already departed from Rome.”

Their release was ordered by acting Venezuelan president, Delcy Rodríguez, thanks to Italian diplomatic and intelligence efforts and U.S. mediation, after days of heightened tension, Italian media explained. Following the U.S. arrest of Nicolás Maduro, the United States, along with other Western countries, requested that Rodríguez release political prisoners as a gesture of breaking with the previous government. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also sent a public message to Delcy Rodríguez requesting the release of the prisoners.

After the capture and extraction of Nicolás Maduro during a U.S. military incursion, the Venezuelan government announced the release of a “significant number” of political prisoners as a gesture toward peace. The gesture was intended to “contribute to the effort” for “national unity,” in the words of the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, who made the announcement. The releases have been taking place slowly since last Thursday. So far, counting the 24 freed early Monday morning, according to Foro Penal, and the 17 released over the weekend, 41 prisoners have been freed out of more than 800. According to other organizations, more than a thousand people are detained for political reasons.

Four days after the announcement of the releases, the Ministry of Penitentiary Services reported on Monday that clemency has been granted to 116 detainees whose cases have been reviewed. But not all of those releases have taken place yet, and those who have already been freed are under restrictions, such as not being allowed to speak publicly about their cases. During the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, measures were announced for another 187. But inconsistency in the figures have become common in the releases of prisoners that the Chavista government grants in moments of high tension. Often the numbers announced do not materialize. Arbitrary detentions also have not ceased.

On Sunday, dozens of relatives of prisoners slept in front of four prisons in the country to demand that all political prisoners be freed. The news of the death due to a “sudden decompensation” — according to the Attorney General’s Office — of Edison Torres in the cells of the Bolivarian National Police, known as Zone 7 of Boleíta, has increased concern about the condition of the detainees.

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