Foro Penal NGO Reports 894 Political Prisoner Releases in Venezuela Since January

The Venezuelan NGO Foro Penal reported that 894 political prisoners have been released from detention since January 8, the date of an official announcement regarding the liberation of a "significant number" of individuals. The organization, which leads the defense for many of these detainees, provided an updated count of those freed.

These releases come after Venezuelan authorities, including National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, announced plans to free prisoners. This initiative gained further attention following the apprehension of Nicolás Maduro by the United States on January 3. Foro Penal's vice president, Gonzalo Himiob, stated that 25 political prisoners were released between Monday and Friday of the past week, with 10 individuals freed on Friday alone.

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a significant number of people

Among those released on Friday were seven women. Five of these women had been detained the previous year, including a 19-year-old and a former official from the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration, and Foreigners (Saime) accused of falsifying identity documents for alleged "terrorists." Military personnel Diosmer Rumbos, Jhon Jaimes, and Kelvis Coronel, detained in 2019 and sentenced to 30 years, were also among the freed.

As of Tuesday, Foro Penal's count indicated 389 political prisoners remained in custody, including one adolescent and 39 individuals with dual or foreign citizenship. Meanwhile, a group of relatives of political prisoners has been protesting outside the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, urging the release of those still detained. This action follows a May statement by U.S. President Donald Trump, who pledged to secure the release of all those imprisoned for political reasons in Venezuela.

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25 political prisoners were released between last Monday and this Friday, day during which 10 of them were released.