Venezuela: Ex-magistrate calls for protest to demand release of political prisoners

Blanca Rosa Mármol de León, a former senior magistrate of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, announced a demonstration at the Rodeo I Penitentiary Center on Thursday, August 20. She, along with representatives of the judicial sector and families of political prisoners, will deliver a document demanding the immediate release of all individuals detained in Venezuela for political reasons.

In an interview with El Nacional, Mármol de León detailed that the 4:00 PM concentration marks the beginning of a series of actions. These actions, involving legal professionals and families of detainees across various detention centers, aim to "pressure the authorities" to secure comprehensive releases. "Enough of so many lies, we cannot continue to allow releases one by one by the regime," Mármol stated, referring to the 131 prisoner excommunications recently announced by the interim government of Delcy Rodríguez. She asserted that this figure does not align with cases documented by human rights organizations in Venezuela.

The former magistrate labeled the announcement as a "deception." She argued that delaying releases constitutes a "crime against humanity" for those who have endured years of inhumane treatment in the country's detention centers. Mármol views the prolonged process of releasing detainees as a "tool of subjugation used by the government against the detained."

She also questioned the mechanisms authorities employ to grant release orders to some detainees while others continue to await their freedom. "We do not know the criteria for why freedom is granted to one group, while other individuals are excluded from the process," she said. Mármol believes the recent releases do not signify "full freedom," as most are still subject to reporting requirements before the courts. She highlighted the case of former political prisoner Emirlendris Benítez, who, despite being in a wheelchair, must report to a court in Barquisimeto every 90 days.

Despite the dialogue process between representatives of the 2015 National Assembly and Chavismo including the release of all political prisoners on its agenda, Mármol de León believes the agreement has not been fulfilled. "It is disrespectful to Venezuelans; that agreement has not been fulfilled, and that is why we must mobilize, demand our rights and those of many citizens who remain arbitrarily detained," she stated. Mármol recalled that seven months after Nicolás Maduro's capture in Caracas and the United States' demand for the "full freedom of all political prisoners in Venezuela," the country still awaits the fulfillment of that promise.