Venezuela reactivates releases and frees over 100 political prisoners

This Sunday saw 104 new prisoner releases in Venezuela, primarily from penitentiaries in the interior of the country, and prisoners’ advocates continued to confirm further releases. Since January 8, 258 people have been let out on bail, in a slow process, according to NGOs. The Chavista government, under pressure from the United States following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and amid protests by family members who maintain vigils outside prisons, puts the number of releases at 626.

Among those released this Sunday is Kennedy Tejeda, a lawyer with Foro Penal, an NGO that defends political prisoners and has been prominent in recent weeks. Tejeda was arrested in August 2024 when he went to a police station to offer his services as a lawyer for a protester detained during the demonstrations against the results of the presidential elections in which Maduro declared himself the winner. Two other prominent human rights defenders remain in prison: Javier Tarazona, of Fundaredes, and Eduardo Torres, of Provea.

The Unity Platform, which brings together opposition parties that support opposition leader María Corina Machado, has reactivated this week to press for the release of political prisoners and join the protests and vigils held by the families of those detained. The organization has recorded 258 releases since January 8 and maintains that 854 people still need to be freed. “We demand massive, public, and transparent release processes that guarantee the freedom of ALL political prisoners,” they posted on the Unity Platform’s X account.

Before the release of 104 people this Sunday, the Penal Forum still counted 777 people being held for political reasons. Justice, Encounter, and Forgiveness puts the number at over 900. The figures do not coincide between organizations and are even more disparate when compared to official numbers.

Acting President Delcy Rodríguez claimed last week that 626 people had been released, a figure that also includes releases dating back to the end of December. Human rights advocates have denounced, based on similar cases, that the government often reports far higher numbers than the actual number of releases and that, in some instances, individuals not classified as political prisoners by NGOs have been granted freedom. Meanwhile, new arrests have been reported.

The absence of official lists, beyond those compiled by family members and lawyers, makes the release process opaque. In addition to the lack of transparency, it has been reported that no one has been granted full freedom. Most individuals have been released with restrictions on speaking publicly to the media about their cases, as well as court orders and travel bans. The verification process carried out by human rights organizations also takes time, further delaying announcements and overall counts. Rodríguez said she would ask the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to review the lists during a call she will have with him this Monday.

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