NGOs question exclusion of political prisoners from Venezuela talks

Venezuelan human rights groups Acceso a la Justicia and Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón (JEPVzla) have voiced strong criticism regarding the exclusion of political prisoners from recent dialogue agreements between the Venezuelan government and a segment of the opposition. Although they acknowledged the commitment to fully renew the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) as a positive development, the organizations stressed that this reform should not impede urgent actions, such as the release of political detainees.

Ali Daniels, director of Acceso a la Justicia, directly questioned the absence of political prisoners from the negotiation agenda. "We regret that political prisoners have not been included in the recent negotiations, as we see no justification for it," he stated. Daniels supported the agreement to renew the TSJ, linking the transformation of the highest court to the need to restore the rule of law in Venezuela. He noted that the country's "lack of rule of law" is connected to an institution that has "only served power and has done nothing to protect citizens' rights."

Daniels believes the change could be significant if the new process allows for the selection of independent magistrates. "In this regard, we consider it a great step forward that it will be renewed, and we hope that this renewal will involve the selection of magistrates who are truly independent and impartial. It would also be incredibly positive if we could finally have magistrates without criminal records," he added. JEPVzla echoed the sentiment that TSJ renewal is crucial for institutional recovery, provided it guarantees judicial independence. "Undoubtedly, it is essential to have an independent, transparent, and capable judiciary that ensures the sacred commitment to a solid rule of law and fulfills its mandate to administer justice," the organization explained.

However, JEPVzla cautioned that transforming the highest court will not yield immediate results. The process of reviewing norms, forming commissions, evaluating candidates, and nomination procedures will take time, potentially months, "before yielding real fruits." Therefore, the organization insisted on separating institutional reform from decisions that can be executed immediately, such as freeing individuals detained for political reasons. They argued that unlike institutional changes, releasing political prisoners can be a swift action that demonstrates goodwill and addresses immediate human rights concerns.