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Samanta Sofía Hernández Castillo, 16 years old, was released on the night of this Monday after being detained for almost six months at the Antímano Care Facility in Caracas, as confirmed by family members and the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (Clippve).
Journalist Luis Carlos Díaz described her as "the last political prisoner under 18 years of age remaining in Venezuela" and denounced the mechanism that led to her detention: "She was imprisoned for being a relative of a pursued military officer, because that's how chavismo operates: it extends its persecution and kidnaps mothers, grandparents, babies, or girls to force compliance."
Samanta was arrested on November 19, 2025 by officials from the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), along with agents from the Bolivarian National Police and the Organized Crime Division, during a search without a judicial warrant at her grandparents' house in El Valle, Caracas. She was in her final year of high school at the time of her arrest.
According to Clippve, the detention was in response to a family punishment policy known as Sippenhaft: the regime allegedly detained the minor to pressure the surrender of her brother Christian Hernández, an exiled soldier and opponent of the Venezuelan government.
His mother publicly reported that the operation was carried out without a search warrant or arrest warrant, and she held Minister Diosdado Cabello responsible for the persecution.
On January 15, 2026, Samanta was brought before the First Control Court specializing in Terrorism, under Judge Kelly Núñez, with no family members allowed in the courtroom. Public Defender Annely Ramos allegedly pressured the minor to admit to crimes that, according to allegations, she did not commit.
Díaz summed up the paradox with a striking phrase: "Samantha Hernández spent more time incarcerated with Delcy than with Nicolás."
The release comes amid reports of political prisoners and questions regarding the implementation of amnesty in Venezuela. Delcy Rodríguez announced the conclusion of the Amnesty Law on April 25 while there were still hundreds of political prisoners incarcerated. The Penal Forum verified only 768 actual releases compared to the 8,616 proclaimed by the Venezuelan government since the onset of the amnesty.
This Monday, Carmen Navas passed away at the age of 83, mother of the political prisoner Víctor Hugo Quero Navas, who died in custody on July 24, 2025, and whose death was concealed by the regime for over nine months. Senator Rick Scott reacted to the death of the political prisoner's mother, demanding the re-imposition of sanctions against Rodríguez.
María Corina Machado has repeatedly requested the immediate release of all political prisoners in Venezuela "before more die."
Clippve celebrated Samanta's reunion with her family but warned that the fight is not over: "She should have never been imprisoned. Today we celebrate her family reunion and reiterate the demand for freedom for all political prisoners who remain unjustly detained."
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