Torture, broken families and years behind bars: The stories behind Venezuela’s latest prisoner releases

Last Friday brought a measure of relief for dozens of Venezuelan political prisoners, who were finally reunited with their families. The government announced the release of 131 detainees in a statement distributed by Communications Minister Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela. The releases have gradually been confirmed by several organizations that monitor political detentions. One of the groups, Foro Penal, verified 64 releases by 7:30 p.m. Friday. It called on families to remain “patient” while it continued verifying information and monitoring releases from detention centers across the country.

The releases came two days after the conclusion of the first round of U.S.-backed talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition. The initial agreement reached during those negotiations did not include the release of the more than 300 political prisoners still being held. Ramón López, a former lawmaker who is part of the opposition delegation, said that while the prisoners’ freedom was neither on the agenda nor part of the final agreement, it had been a demand from the very start of the talks.

“There can be no national dialogue if there is not the full release of all political prisoners. And today 131 are being freed. Our work must be focused on getting them all out,” he told Venevisión, one of Venezuela’s leading television networks. “Political prisoners cannot be used as a bargaining chip to advance on other issues; it must be a core issue.”

Those freed on Friday include individuals linked to cases such as the so-called Drone Case and Operation Gideon. Below are some of the most prominent figures among those released on Friday.

Emirlendris Benítez

Emirlendris Benítez is one of Venezuela’s most prominent political prisoners. A mother and small-business owner, she was arrested on August 5, 2018, while riding in a taxi with her partner during the investigation into the alleged drone attack against former president Nicolás Maduro. Prosecutors accused her of terrorism, conspiracy and other crimes related to the case, charges she has always denied. In 2022, she received a 30-year prison sentence, the maximum penalty under Venezuelan law.

Her case drew particular attention because of allegations that she was tortured while in custody. Human rights organizations documented that Benítez was subjected to physical abuse while pregnant, lost her baby and was left with severe long-term injuries that impaired her mobility. Her case was brought before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the United Nations, the International Criminal Court and the European Parliament. Amnesty International reported that she had difficulty accessing adequate medical care for years. On Friday, eight years after her arrest, she left prison in a wheelchair. Her release was one of the most symbolically significant of the day.

María Auxiliadora Delgado Tabosky

Venezuelan businesswoman María Auxiliadora Delgado Tabosky, who also holds Spanish citizenship, was arrested on March 19, 2019, along with her husband, retired military officer Juan Carlos Marrufo Capozzi, an Italian national. Officers from Venezuela’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) first raided their home in the city of Valencia, in Carabobo state, and later detained the couple east of Caracas. Authorities accused them of financing terrorism, criminal association and involvement in the alleged August 2018 drone attack against Maduro.

Her case is particularly striking because, just months after her arrest, prosecutors themselves found insufficient grounds to justify her continued detention. A court ordered her release in June 2019, but the ruling went unenforced for months. She was eventually freed on October 2, 2019, only to be rearrested a few hours later by officers from the FAES special police unit.

In December 2022, after spending nearly four years behind bars, Delgado Tabosky was sentenced to 30 years in prison on charges of terrorism, treason and criminal association. International bodies questioned the arbitrary nature of her detention. The U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for her release, arguing that her case formed part of a broader pattern of arbitrary imprisonment in Venezuela.

Her case also had a family dimension. Her brother, Osman Delgado Tabosky, was accused by the government of helping finance the alleged 2018 attack against Maduro and was living abroad at the time. Human rights organizations have argued that María Auxiliadora was targeted because of her family ties to him.

Yolimar Alemán

Yolimar Alemán was arrested on April 21, 2020, along with her sister Andreína, during a DGCIM operation. Both were linked to the so-called Operation Gideon case, connected to the failed armed incursion against the Venezuelan government in May 2020.

They were detained in Carabobo state and later transferred to the DGCIM’s headquarters in Boleíta, Caracas.

Alemán’s case also had both a family and military dimension. She is the sister of National Guard Lieutenant Richard Alemán Castellanos and the wife of Army Captain Erickson Alexander Chaya Barroeta, both of whom were convicted in the same case. Authorities accused members of the group of offenses including treason, rebellion, conspiracy, terrorism and criminal association.

In May 2021, a judge granted alternative measures that would have allowed the Alemán sisters to be released pending trial, but the decision was later overturned. In May 2024, Yolimar was sentenced as part of the same proceedings.

Her case is particularly representative of the detainees prosecuted in connection with Operation Gideon.

Daniel Zambrano

Daniel Zambrano, from the western state of Táchira, was around 30 years old when he was released on Friday, August 14. He had been detained since May 28, 2022, spending more than four years behind bars. His case became particularly important for human rights organizations because of what happened to his family, and especially to his brother, Juan Nahir Zambrano, who was released on March 9, 2026.

The family’s ordeal began when Juan Nahir, who is on the autism spectrum, was allegedly lured by DGCIM officers with the promise of being reinstated in the Bolivarian National Guard. After being taken out of Táchira state, he was reportedly held incommunicado and subjected to coercion. Daniel set out to look for him but was himself arrested when hooded agents raided the family home. The two brothers were accused of involvement in an alleged conspiracy against the Maduro government and ultimately became defendants in the same criminal case.

Daniel’s release now allows the brothers to reunite. Their mother, Luz Arias, has nevertheless called on authorities to lift the restrictions that still apply to them. According to some of the release orders issued to detainees freed on Friday, they remain subject to a form of conditional release requiring them to report to the courts every 30 days and remain in the country. In that sense, as their relatives point out, they are not truly free yet.

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