Related videos:
The Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular denounced on Wednesday a new tactic by the regime led by Delcy Rodríguez: arbitrarily detaining citizens and political leaders, presenting them before courts without any legal basis, and then releasing them under a regime of regular appearances or precautionary measures that hinder the free exercise of their rights.
The most recent case cited by the organization is that of leader Alexis Paparoni, who was detained at Maiquetía International Airport by the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) in mid-April while attempting to enter the country, and was subsequently released under restrictive measures without any specific legal charges being outlined against him.
“Citizens and political leaders are arbitrarily detained, as in the case of Alexis Paparoni; they are presented without any legal basis and then released under a presentation regime,” stated Voluntad Popular in its statement.
According to the opposition organization, the objective of this strategy is clear: "to free political prisoners from jails, but to keep them imprisoned within Venezuela, under precautionary measures and, in some cases, with restrictions on leaving the country."
The complaint arrives days after Rodríguez declared the end of the Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence, enacted on February 19, 2026, and closed just two months later, on April 25, with hundreds of detainees still imprisoned.
The gap between the official figures and those verified by independent organizations is revealing: while the Venezuelan government claimed to have granted amnesty to more than 8,616 people, the Non-Governmental Organization Foro Penal only verified 768 actual releases since January 8, 2026.
The pattern of using precautionary measures as a mechanism for political control is not new. The Foro Penal itself has documented that around 12,000 people are under such restrictions in Venezuela—prohibition on leaving the country, periodic appearances before courts—an accumulation of data since 2014 and updated in 2026.
Political ex-prisoners have also reported tortures at El Helicoide in recent reports, which worsens the situation of documented violations under Rodríguez's regime.
The U.S. senator Rick Scott described Rodríguez on Monday as the "head of a cartel" and claimed that "she was part of the torture chambers, she was part of what was done to political prisoners," demanding the immediate release of all detained Venezuelans.
In 120 cities around the world, mobilizations have been organized demanding the freedom of Venezuelan political prisoners, amid increasing international pressure on the regime.
"We demand the cessation of this new form of persecution and intimidation against the democratic leadership, as well as the total release, without precautionary measures, of the more than 500 political prisoners in Venezuela," concluded Voluntad Popular in its statement, a demand that Foro Penal has also supported by stating that political prisoners "continue to be the main obstacle to the transition."
Filed under: