Venezuelan Political Prisoner Questions Dialogue Priorities, Urges Focus on Prisoner Release

Constitutional lawyer and political prisoner Perkins Rocha has voiced strong criticism regarding the initial proposals emerging from the first round of talks between representatives of Venezuela's government and the opposition coalition supporting the 2015 National Assembly. Rocha specifically took issue with the dialogue's apparent prioritization of managing frozen overseas assets before addressing the release of citizens detained for political reasons.

Rocha shared his stance via his social media account, reacting to a joint statement released by Jorge Rodríguez, representing the government, and Dinorah Figuera, an opposition leader, following the initial negotiation cycle. "Given that what was read by both representatives of the tutored dialogue are shared proposals, I conclude preliminarily that it is regrettable that the urgency to achieve gold has been expressed before the need to achieve freedom," Rocha stated from his place of detention.

The official document, dated August 12, indicated that the delegations would concentrate their efforts on addressing the emergency caused by earthquakes on June 24, as well as pursuing institutional reforms within the judicial and electoral branches. The statement also outlined plans for recovering international reserves held in the Bank of England, subject to audit and traceability protocols.

In response to appeals from families and human rights advocates, Dinorah Figuera assured that the agenda for releasing detainees remains a topic of discussion. The opposition leader committed to advancing prisoner releases in upcoming sessions as part of broader agreements aimed at restoring political guarantees and civil rights in the country.