Rocío San Miguel released after nearly two years in custody

Rocío San Miguel, a Venezuelan‑Spanish security expert who became one of the country's most prominent political prisoners, was released on Thursday after nearly two years in custody, her family told The New York Times. She was among the first batch of political prisoners freed by the interim Venezuelan government since Nicolás Maduro was captured by the United States.

Ms. San Miguel, a dual Venezuelan‑Spanish citizen, was taken to the Spanish embassy in Caracas with her daughter and other close relatives after her release, according to her former sister‑in‑law, Minnie Díaz Paruta, who spoke from Atlanta. 'We saw this outcome as the most impossible of all,' Ms.

Paruta said. When she was arrested in February 2024 and accused of being involved in a plot to kill Mr. Maduro, Ms. San Miguel was the head of Citizen Control, a nonprofit that investigated deadly force used by Venezuelan state security forces. Her arrest stunned human rights circles and raised fears that Venezuela had entered a new era of repression; 'If this happened to Rocío San Miguel, then what’s left for everybody else?' Laura Dib of the Washington Office on Latin America said at the time.

The release of Ms. San Miguel and other political prisoners appeared to be a symbolic effort to demonstrate political change after Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as the interim leader, with the backing of the United States, following Mr. Maduro's ouster.

Key Topics

World, Rocío San Miguel, Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez, Citizen Control