Slow releases of Venezuela's political prisoners fuel hope and frustration

Venezuela’s interim government this week signaled a major release of political prisoners, but families say the promised liberations have been slow to appear. Ramón Guanipa Linares, who flew from Maracaibo to Caracas to see his father, a detained opposition politician, found only rumors and no information about a release.

Interim officials, including Jorge Rodríguez, said the government would free an “important number” of prisoners, and President Trump posted that “Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners.” The government later announced 116 releases “in recent hours,” yet rights groups monitoring detentions counted only 41 known releases and Foro Penal said about 800 political prisoners remained as of Sunday.

Juan Pablo Guanipa, the son’s father, has been held for eight months after security forces raided his hiding place, according to his son; he has been charged with terrorism and treason but never convicted. A former congressman and 2017 governor-elect who was removed from office, Mr.

Guanipa ran in a 2023 opposition primary and backed Maria Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025. The opposition alliance won a later presidential vote by machine tallies, the account says, but was prevented from taking power when Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner and increased repression.

Key Topics

World, Juan Pablo Guanipa, Political Prisoners, Delcy Rodríguez, El Helicoide, Foro Penal