Venezuelan activist questions government's political prisoner release numbers

A Venezuelan activist group has challenged the interim government's figures on the release of political prisoners, asserting that the numbers do not align with independent verifications.

Andreina Baduel, an activist with the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Venezuela (Clippve), stated that the government's announced number of 131 releases, made on August 14, is inaccurate. Clippve's own verification process has documented fewer than 80 individuals freed.

"We insist that, once again, the Venezuelan regime is lying. The figures they announce never match the figures that different organizations manage to document through independent verification," Baduel said in an interview with VPItv.

Baduel also raised concerns about the conditional nature of the releases, arguing that they reveal the "opacity of the Venezuelan state." She emphasized that the judicial processes remain open, offering no real guarantees for those who have suffered for years.

Foro Penal, another human rights NGO, currently documents the release of at least 78 political prisoners, a number that starkly contrasts with the 131 announced by Delcy Rodríguez's interim government.

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We insist that, once again, the Venezuelan regime is lying. The figures they announce never match the figures that different organizations manage to document through independent verification.