The National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) of Venezuela confirmed on social media the release of at least 14 journalists who were detained in various prisons across Venezuela, in a process of releases that, according to organizations and family members, is progressing slowly amid the political transition following the fall of Nicolás Maduro.
Among the individuals released, as mentioned by the SNTP, are journalist Roland Carreño, the director of Punto de Corte Nicmer Evans, reporter Carlos Julio Rojas, as well as Ramón Centeno, Carlos Marcano, Víctor Ugas, Leandro Palmar, and camera assistant Belises Cubillán, according to information gathered by relatives and human rights organizations that have been following the process.
Carreño was imprisoned from August 2, 2024, for a year, five months, and 12 days; Carlos Julio Rojas was held detained from April 15, 2024, for a year, eight months, and 20 days; and Nicmer Evans spent a month and a day confined in El Helicoide, according to the SNTP.
Julio Balza (detained for one year and five days, as confirmed by his father), journalist Nakary Ramos Mena, her husband, and camera assistant Gianni González (detained since April 8, 2025, for nine months and six days) were also released, along with Gabriel González, a member of the Vente Venezuela press team, who was freed after one year, six months, and 28 days in custody since June 27, 2024, the text notes.
The document adds that Ramón Centeno was released after three years, 11 months, and 13 days in prison (detained on February 2, 2022) and that, according to the SNTP, he was already at home, although with health issues that need attention.
It also specifies that Carlos Marcano was released after seven months and 22 days of confinement in Tocorón; Víctor Ugas was imprisoned from August 18, 2024, for one year, four months, and 27 days; and that Leandro Palmar and Belises Cubillán had been detained in Maracaibo on January 9, 2025, remaining deprived of liberty for one year and five days.
These releases occur after Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Parliament and head negotiator for the Government, stated in a session that more than 400 people have been released and described the process as a “unilateral gesture” from the Government, now under the interim presidency of Delcy Rodríguez, according to the text.
However, the detailed official lists have not been published, which has raised questions.
According to the report, Foro Penal claimed to have verified 56 releases, while the Plataforma Unitaria Democrática raised the number to 76; Provea denounced "unwarranted delays and authoritarian abuses," while the Human Rights Committee of Vente Venezuela demanded the immediate publication of a complete list.
In a statement, María Corina Machado and opposition member Edmundo González Urrutia questioned the official assessment and pointed out that the figure released by the regime regarding the pardons "does not correspond to reality," as human rights organizations had only been able to verify 56 releases.
Meanwhile, family members kept vigil near penitentiary centers such as El Rodeo and El Helicoide, waiting for new releases.
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