Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners, human rights group says
A leading Venezuelan human rights group says at least 80 political prisoners have been released under US pressure.
Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, said his group had confirmed the identities of those released from prisons across the country on Saturday and that more releases were likely to follow.
This is the latest group of detainees released since the US Captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro A raid took him to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges earlier this month.
On Friday, Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said more than 600 prisoners had been released, but Foro Penal says that figure is inflated.
Romero announced the statements on social media. He also posted a photo of his Foro Prison colleague Kennedy Tejeda, who he said has been held in Tocorón prison west of the capital Caracas since August 2024.
Foro Criminal lawyer Gonzalo Himiob said in a post on X that the number of releases could rise above 80 “as verification progresses.”
Foro Penal had previously said many people had been released in recent weeks. The charges against them were not dropped.
The group said this put them in legal limbo and they were banned from public speaking.
Before this weekend’s developments, the group had confirmed that only 156 political prisoners had been released since January 8.
Those confirmed to have been released so far include some local opposition figures and at least five Spanish citizens.
Separately, Rodriguez said he would meet with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Monday to ask the UN to verify the lists released so far.
Human rights groups and activists have long accused the government of using detentions to silence dissidents. The Venezuelan government has denied holding political prisoners, insisting they were detained for criminal activity.
Many people were detained after the 2024 presidential election, in which Maduro declared victory despite his rivals and many countries objecting to the results.
