Leaving prison isn't freedom: Venezuelan NGO denounces political prisoners' ongoing trauma

Leaving prison in Venezuela is not the end of suffering for political detainees, according to the NGO Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón (JEP). The organization warns that the "silent trauma" continues long after release, as many individuals remain trapped by fear and state persecution.

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We got used to believing that the story culminates with the photo of the hug at the prison gates, but freedom is never reduced to crossing a gate or signing a form under precautionary measures.

JEP's audiovisual piece challenges the common perception that freedom is achieved simply by walking out of jail or signing court-ordered conditions. Instead, it illustrates how the anxieties of imprisonment transfer into the most intimate spaces of home life. The NGO describes this as a "silent truth" that manifests in constant vigilance, paranoia, and involuntary tremors, affecting not only the released individuals but also their families.

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The truth is much quieter and lives inside the houses: when persecution does not extinguish but moves to the dining room table, to the hallway in the early morning and to the involuntary tremor of a hand holding a coffee cup.

The organization labels this pervasive psychological distress as "systematic psychosocial damage," a direct consequence of institutional persecution against citizens and the opposition. JEP argues that the state has not truly restored freedom but has instead "privatized the confinement." They emphasize that this daily suffering is not a private matter or an individual ailment that time will resolve.

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The State has not returned freedom, it has only privatized confinement. This daily suffering is not a private matter or an individual ailment that is resolved with the mere passage of time: it is systematic psychosocial damage, a direct consequence of institutional persecution that erodes the vital fabric of thousands of homes in Venezuela.

JEP insists that any genuine justice process aimed at societal reconstruction must prioritize the repair of mental health. The NGO concludes that the psychological impact of political repression leaves an open wound on thousands of Venezuelan families.

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For this reason, any genuine justice process that aspires to rebuild society must place the repair of mental health at the center of its demands.