Families Of Venezuela's Political Prisoners Continue Demanding Their Release As Uncertainty Lingers

What began as a promise that gave hope to families of hundreds of political prisoners in Venezuela has turned into days of continued uncertainty.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of Venezuela's National Assembly, assured that a significant number of political detainees would be released from prison as the Caracas regime is now seemingly working in coordination with the Trump administration following the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3.

However, only 56 releases have been recorded so far, according to data from the NGO Foro Penal. As of January 14, the NGO reports over 800 prisoners still in detention.

The Ministry of Penitentiary Services claims that 116 prisoners have been released, but has not published their identities.

Many of the prisoners are being held in Helicoide, an extravagant, pyramidal structure in Caracas that has been converted into a detention and torture facility by the government. Other prisoners are also being held in Rodeo I, in Miranda state, where several opposition figures who were detained for political reasons were transferred.

Following the January 3 operation, Venezuelans have been on edge -- particularly families of political prisoners waiting for the return of their family members.

Latin Times spoke with a number of family members in Caracas who said they have spent nights sleeping on the streets, in makeshift camps, while they await the release of their loved ones.

On Tuesday, the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners held a protest at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas to demand the speedy release of every single political prisoner being held by the regime.

Organizers lamented the delay in releasing prisoners since Maduro's ouster and the swearing in of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was his vice president.

"It has been demonstrated once again that there can be no transition in Venezuela without the full and unconditional freedom of all political prisoners in Venezuela," Diego Casanova, a member of the committee, told Latin Times.

He said that repression against Venezuelans continues, as evidenced by over 100 people being detained in recent days. Following US attacks, Venezuela's government issued a decree which ordered security focus to "immediately undertake the search and capture ... of any person involved in promoting or supporting the armed attack by the United States of America," sending a chilling effect across the country -- especially amongst journalists and opposition members.

"The balance we can draw today is fatal. With arrests, but also with the deployment of officials, including paramilitary groups that continue to stalk the population," Casanova said.

During the event, protesters made a giant poster with photos of detainees, accompanied by a Venezuelan flag, to demand their freedom. They also chanted insistently: "Justice, justice and freedom. They are all innocent, none of them are criminals."

Inhumane conditions in Venezuelan prisons

Margareth Baduel is another Venezuelan who has gone through difficult times due to the imprisonment of family members.

In her case, she lost her father Raúl Isaías Baduel, a former minister under Hugo Chávez, who died in prison, in state custody, in 2021. The young woman's brother, Josnars, has also been imprisoned in Rodeo I for five years, accused of terrorism, conspiracy and rebellion.

She told Latin Times that those imprisoned in Rodeo I survive in precarious conditions. They sleep on concrete beds. They only have one latrine.

"They must be there 24 hours a day, and I don't want to imagine how painful it must be to remain locked up there 24 hours a day in their condition,' she told a group of press at the protest.

The poor conditions are impacting detainee health, the protesters said, but especially for the 86 prisoners whose families say suffer from chronic illnesses and do not receive adequate care.

"We are seeing conditions such as cancer, kidney problems, cardiovascular problems and even mobility problems, and this is also exacerbated by the conditions in which they all find themselves," said Baduel.

The government rarely provides information on the status of prisoners. Yesterday, Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Congress, stated that those released are not political prisoners, but rather "politicians who had committed offenses against the law: people who called for invasion, they were granted [release]; people who called for military aggression against Venezuela, they were granted [release]; people who promoted violence, disunity and division."

Baduel warned that if conditions are not improved, there could be more deaths among detainees. "So far, unfortunately, we have recorded 26 deaths, as I mentioned earlier, my father, and on 10 January, at the PNB in Zone 7, Mr. Edison José Torres, aged 52, sadly passed away," he concluded.