Calls Mount for Release of Venezuela’s Remaining Political Prisoners
Campaign group Foro Penal said on Sunday that it had verified the release of 444 political detainees since US forces seized Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro last month. However, hundreds more remain in custody despite ongoing US pressure to accelerate their release.
Activists warn that the health of some relatives who have launched hunger strikes to demand their loved ones’ freedom is deteriorating rapidly. Footage shared by opposition party Vente Venezuela shows one relative appearing unconscious while being tended to outside the Zona 7 detention centre in Caracas.
According to Foro Penal, ten people began a hunger strike on Saturday to demand the release of relatives held at Zona 7. The group has maintained a vigil outside the police facility since 8 January, when Jorge Rodríguez, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, announced that "a significant number" of prisoners would be freed as a goodwill gesture to show the interim government’s willingness to "seek peace."
While the Trump administration has commended the interim government for progress so far, activists in Venezuela have criticized delays and a lack of transparency regarding who is being released. Opposition members also note that those freed are often barred from speaking publicly, citing opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa as evidence that the released are not "really free."
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