Venezuelan Ombudsman's Office to Establish Technical Committee with NGO Defending Political Prisoners

Venezuela's Ombudsman's Office announced it will form a technical committee with the NGO "Alianza para la Libertad de los Presos Políticos" (Alliance for the Freedom of Political Prisoners). This initiative, set to begin on August 12, 2026, aims to "deepen the review and individualized follow-up of cases presented by this organization."

Activists from the Alliance had requested mediation and action regarding "timely medical care, procedural celerity, detention conditions, and respect for human dignity" for political prisoners. According to a press release from the Ombudsman's Office, the NGO submitted a list of all political prisoners, with the Alliance stating that an agreement was reached for a technical committee meeting with family members the following day.

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We delivered the list of all political prisoners and agreed to establish a technical committee with family members tomorrow, the 12th.

The NGO also called for a review of the legal status of political prisoners. Foro Penal, another organization, reports there are 382 such prisoners, though the government maintains they were detained for committing crimes – a claim rejected by opposition political parties. Ombudsman Eglée González Lobato affirmed her office's "open door policy" and commitment to receiving and addressing concerns from families, social organizations, and various societal sectors within its constitutional mandate.

She reiterated the office's readiness to examine each situation individually and undertake necessary institutional actions to contribute to the effective protection of human rights and due process. This development follows a previous request by the NGO Comité por la Libertad de los Presos Políticos (CLIPP) for international organizations to visit Venezuela and verify alleged human rights violations against political prisoners.

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My office maintains an open door policy and will continue to receive and address the proposals of family members, social organizations, and various sectors of society, within the framework of its constitutional competencies.