Feb 8 (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Pablo Guanipa and prominent lawyer Perkins Rocha have been freed from jail, their families said in separate statements on Sunday, the latest high-profile releases by the government in Caracas, which is under pressure from the U.S. to free political prisoners.
Rights group Foro Penal said 30 political prisoners were released on Sunday and that it was verifying additional cases. The organization previously confirmed that 383 political prisoners had been let go since the Venezuelan government announced on January 8 that it would begin a new series of releases.
Guanipa and Rocha are close allies of Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Rocha, a lawyer for the Vente Venezuela opposition movement, was detained in August 2024 on terrorism and related charges. Guanipa was arrested last May after months in hiding for allegedly leading a terrorist plot. The two men have denied all the allegations, either directly or through family and supporters.
Earlier this month, Guanipa’s family said they had been able to see him in person for the first time in months, and that he was in good physical health. Rocha had been held without regular contact with his relatives or legal defense, according to complaints from his family.
“Ten months in hiding and almost nine months detained here,” Guanipa said on Sunday after being released. “There’s a lot to talk about regarding the present and future of Venezuela, always with the truth front and center.”
Machado on Sunday celebrated the latest releases in a statement on X, calling for all political prisoners to be released.
Venezuela’s opposition and human rights groups have said for years that the country’s socialist government uses detentions to stamp out dissent.
The government denies holding political prisoners and says those jailed have committed crimes. Officials say nearly 900 of these people have been released, but they have not been clear about the timeline and appear to be including releases from previous years. The government has not provided an official list of how many prisoners will be released or revealed their identities.
Others released so far include Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Tudares was jailed for more than a year, during which he was sentenced to 30 years on terrorism charges that his family has roundly denied.
AMNESTY LEGISLATION UNDER CONSIDERATION
Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez has announced a proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners in the country, and said the infamous Helicoide detention center in Caracas, which rights groups have long denounced as the site of prisoner abuse, will be converted into a center for sport and social services in the capital.
The legislation, which would grant immediate clemency to people jailed for participating in political protests or criticizing public figures, return assets of those detained and cancel Interpol and other international measures previously issued by the government – passed in an initial vote at the National Assembly this week. It will need to be approved a second time to become law.
Rodriguez took office after the U.S. captured and deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro last month.
Venezuela’s authorities have been releasing the political prisoners and complying with U.S. demands on oil deals since Maduro’s capture.
(Reporting by Reuters newsroom; Editing by Paul Simao)
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