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Venezuela Restarts Releases of Post‑Election Detainees, Numbers Disputed

Rights groups dispute the 99 releases claimed by the ministry, saying those freed face court‑ordered travel and speech limits.

Overview

  • Family groups and NGOs reported 71 excarcerations on Dec. 25, including 65 men from Tocorón, three women from La Crisálida and three adolescents from La Guaira.
  • An official statement from the Ministry for the Penitentiary said 99 people tied to the 2024 post‑election unrest were released after case‑by‑case reviews with precautionary measures.
  • Relatives showed documents indicating bans on travel and media interviews, restrictions on social‑media statements, monthly court appearances and prohibitions on communicating with one another.
  • Rights organizations called the step insufficient and pressed for a general amnesty, noting hundreds remain jailed, with Foro Penal counting 902 and Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón citing 1,085.
  • The partial restart follows a pause since March 2025 and unfolds under heightened international pressure, as Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro urges amnesty and some high‑profile detainees, including Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, remain imprisoned.