Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Venezuela's Promised Prisoner Release Narrows to a Handful

Human-rights monitors say the promised mass release never materialized, leaving hundreds still jailed.

Overview

  • After a pledge to free a large number of detainees, NGOs report only about nine to eleven political prisoners were actually released.
  • Spain confirmed five of its citizens were freed and named them publicly, with repatriation flights arranged from Caracas via Bogotá to Madrid.
  • Venezuelans among those released include former presidential candidate Enrique Márquez, opposition figure Biagio Pilieri, soldier Larry Osorio Chía, and activist Aracelis Balza.
  • Released detainees face conditions restricting public statements and social-media use, and some departures occurred away from prison facilities or involved immediate travel abroad.
  • No comprehensive official list has been published as families wait outside El Helicoide and El Rodeo; Foro Penal says roughly 811 political prisoners remain and high-profile cases like Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo are still unresolved.