politics

февраль 2, 2026

Activista venezolano de derechos humanos fue liberado de prisión en medio de liberación de presos

Venezuela rights activist freed from notorious jail amid prisoner release https://t.co/pxPxM2J5BS

The Venezuelan human rights activist Javier Tarazona was freed in a prisoner release process, the legal rights group Foro Penal said on Sunday, the latest high-profile release in a process that has stretched for weeks and that detainees' families say has moved too slowly.

Venezuela interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced on Friday a proposed "amnesty law" for hundreds of prisoners in the country, and said the notorious Helicoide detention center in the capital Caracas, which rights groups have long denounced as a site of prisoner abuse, would be converted into a center for sports and social services.

Foro Penal says it has verified more than 300 releases of political prisoners since the government announced the new series of releases on Jan. 8. It added on Sunday that several others had been freed alongside Tarazona from the Helicoide.

Tarazona is the director of FundaRedes, which investigates alleged abuses by Colombian armed groups and the Venezuelan military on the border between the two countries. He was arrested in July 2021, accused of terrorism and conspiracy.

"After 1,675 days, four years and seven months, the day we longed for has arrived: my brother Javier Tarazona is free," declared Jose Rafael Tarazona, Tarazona's brother, on X. "The freedom of one is hope for all."

Government officials, who deny holding political prisoners and say those jailed have committed crimes, have given a much higher figure for releases, of more than 600, but have been unclear about the timeline and appear to be including releases from prior years. The government has never provided an official list of how many prisoners will be released nor who they are.

Prisoners' families say the releases have moved very slowly and Foro Penal says more than 700 political prisoners remain jailed, an updated count that includes prisoners whose families had not previously reported their detentions out of fear.

Families and human rights advocates have long demanded that charges and convictions against detainees considered political prisoners be nullified. Opposition politicians, dissident members of security services, journalists and human rights activists have long been targeted with charges such as terrorism and treason, which their families call unfair and arbitrary.

Among long-time advocates for releases and amnesty is Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who has several close allies jailed.

Many detainees' families, both known and lesser-known, have gathered outside jails, even sleeping there, or visited various detention centers in an effort to find out where their loved ones are being held.

The recent releases were announced following the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro and his appearance in a New York court on narco-terrorism charges, which he denies.

Among prominent figures still detained are opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa and lawyer Perkins Rocha, both close allies of Machado, and opposition party Voluntad Popular leader Freddy Superlano.

Among those freed so far is Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of opposition ex-presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who had been jailed for more than a year, during which he was sentenced to 30 years on terrorism charges that his family has strongly denied.

A 2022 United Nations report stated that state security agencies tortured detainees at the Helicoide, originally designed as a shopping center. The government rejected the UN findings.

Venezuela's Ministry of Communications, which handles all government press inquiries, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.