Venezuela frees prominent opposition members as prisoner releases continue

CARACAS - Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa and prominent lawyer Perkins Rocha have been freed from jail, their families said in separate statements on Feb 8, the latest

high-profile releases by the government in Caracas,

which is under pressure from the United States to free political prisoners.

Rights group Foro Penal said 30 political prisoners were released on Feb 8 and that it was verifying additional cases. The organisation previously confirmed that 383 political prisoners had been let go since the Venezuelan government announced on Jan 8 that it would begin a new series of releases.

Mr Guanipa and Mr Rocha are close allies of

Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

Mr Rocha, a lawyer for the Vente Venezuela opposition movement, was detained in August 2024 on terrorism and related charges. Mr Guanipa was arrested last May after months in hiding for allegedly leading a terrorist plot. The two men have denied all the allegations, either directly or through family and supporters.

Earlier in February, Mr Guanipa’s family said they had been able to see him in person for the first time in months, and that he was in good physical health. Mr Rocha had been held without regular contact with his relatives or legal defence, according to complaints from his family.

“Ten months in hiding and almost nine months detained here,” Mr Guanipa said on Feb 8 after being released. “There’s a lot to talk about... the present and future of Venezuela, always with the truth front and centre.”

On Feb 8, Ms Machado celebrated the latest releases in a statement on social media platform X, calling for all political prisoners to be released.

Venezuela’s opposition and human rights groups have said for years that the country’s socialist government uses detentions to stamp out dissent.

The government denies holding political prisoners and says that those jailed have committed crimes. Officials say nearly 900 of these people have been released, but they have not been clear about the timeline and appear to be including releases from previous years. The government has not provided an official list of how many prisoners will be released or revealed their identities.

Others released so far include Mr Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Mr Tudares was jailed for more than a year, during which he was sentenced to 30 years on terrorism charges that his family has roundly denied.

Amnesty legislation under consideration

Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has announced a

proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners

in the country, and said the infamous Helicoide detention centre in Caracas, which rights groups have long denounced as the site of prisoner abuse, will be converted into a centre for sport and social services in the capital.

The legislation – which would grant immediate clemency to people jailed for participating in political protests or criticising public figures, return assets of those detained, and cancel Interpol and other international measures previously issued by the government – passed in an initial vote at the National Assembly last week. It will need to be approved a second time to become law.

Ms Rodriguez took office after

the US captured and deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro

in January.

Venezuelan authorities have been releasing the political prisoners and complying with US demands on oil deals since Maduro’s capture. REUTERS