Venezuelan Judge Afiuni Granted Full Liberty as Case Closes

Venezuelan justice has definitively closed the case of Judge María Lourdes Afiuni, granting her full liberty and formally ending a legal process that began with her detention in December 2009. Afiuni, widely considered a political prisoner under the late President Hugo Chávez, had been accused of corruption after granting bail to a banker.

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puts a definitive end to the proceedings against her and fully restores her liberty, formally closing a case that should never have existed.

Chávez had called for the maximum sentence of 30 years, alleging Afiuni facilitated the banker's escape from the country. Afiuni remained in prison until 2011, when she was moved to house arrest, and later granted conditional release in 2013. In 2019, she received a five-year sentence for "spiritual corruption," a charge where the prosecution acknowledged she received no economic benefit.

Until this recent decision, Afiuni's conditional liberty imposed restrictions, including prohibitions on leaving the city, speaking to the press or on social media, and voting. She also lacked a passport and was politically disqualified. Her brother, Nelson Afiuni, and legal representative, Thelma Fernández, stated in a release that the decision "puts a definitive end to the proceedings against her and fully restores her liberty, formally closing a case that should never have existed."

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During years, the judge Afiuni and her family endured the consequences of a persecution that transcended the personal sphere and became an unequivocal symbol of the deterioration of judicial independence in Venezuela.

While celebrating the end of a "long and painful chapter marked by serious violations of human rights and due process," they acknowledged that the closure "does not erase the suffering experienced nor, by itself, repair the damages caused." They highlighted that Afiuni's case became a symbol of the deterioration of judicial independence in Venezuela.

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the definitive closure of the file does not erase the suffering experienced nor, by itself, repair the damages caused.

The family and legal team expressed gratitude to those who supported the cause and emphasized that the case serves as a warning about the dangers of using the justice system for retaliation. They called for a reflection on the need to rebuild judicial independence in Venezuela, ensuring that no judge faces similar persecution for performing their duties impartially. This development follows a trend this year where hundreds of political prisoners have been released.

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No judge should ever again face prison, persecution, humiliation or threats for fulfilling their duty, applying the law or complying with decisions and standards of international human rights law.