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The NGO Foro Penal reported that Venezuela currently has a total of 777 political prisoners, despite the release process announced by the president of the Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, just a few days after the United States captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3rd in Caracas.
According to the organization, in a video published on Instagram, from January 8 until this Monday, 143 releases from prison were recorded, although no new releases have been reported since Saturday, EFE reported.
The information was provided by Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, who emphasized that the measures implemented do not equate to full freedom for the detainees.
"We continue to await the total release of political prisoners. I say total release because the releases do not imply freedom, as they remain under restrictive measures," stated Romero.
The activist detailed that many of those released have been banned from leaving the country or face restrictions on speaking to the media.
In several prisons, relatives of detainees have been waiting for weeks for new releases, sleeping in front of the facilities and demanding justice for their loved ones.
After the presidential elections on July 28, 2024, more than 2,400 people were arrested on charges of terrorism and vandalism.
Although most were later released, non-governmental organizations and opposition parties assert that these were arbitrary detentions and denounce a policy of systematic repression by the Chavista regime.
Despite this, Nicolás Maduro's administration maintained until his arrest that Venezuela was “free of political prisoners” and that those imprisoned had committed “serious crimes.”
The Foro Penal report contradicts that version and shows that, even amid the transition process following Maduro's capture, political repression in the country remains a reality.
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