Venezuela slows release of prisoners: 11 released while more than 800 remain locked up

He was arrested two days before the 2024 presidential election after posting a video of an opposition protest in Barinas, the home state of the late President Hugo Chávez.

As he was leaving the San Francisco de Yare prison, about an hour’s drive south of the capital Caracas, he learned that former president Nicolas Maduro had been captured by American forces on January 3 in a night raid in the capital.

Angulo told The Associated Press that his faith gave him the strength to continue while in detention.

“Thank God I will enjoy my family again,” he said, adding that the others still detained “are doing well” and have high hopes of being released soon.

Families whose loved ones are in prison gathered Saturday for the third day in a row outside prisons in Caracas and other communities, hoping to learn of a possible release.

THURSDAY, VenezuelaThe government pledged to release what it described as a significant number of prisoners.

But Saturday, only 11 people had been releasedcompared to nine the day before, according to Foro Penal, a prisoner advocacy group based in Caracas. Eight hundred and nine people remain imprisoned, the group said. It was not immediately clear whether Ángulo’s release was among the 11.

A relative of activist Rocío San Miguel, one of the first to be released and who moved to Spain, said in a statement that her release “is not a total freedom, but rather a precautionary measure replacing deprivation of liberty.”

Among the prominent members of the country’s political opposition arrested after the 2024 presidential elections and remain in prison are former deputy Freddy Superlano, former governor Juan Pablo Guanipa and Perkins Rocha, lawyer for the opposition leader. Maria Corina Machado. The son-in-law of the opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González, also remains imprisoned.

A week after the US military intervention in Caracas, Venezuelans aligned with the government demonstrated in several cities across the country to demand the return of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Both men were captured and transferred to the United States, where they face charges including conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism.

Hundreds of people demonstrated in cities including Caracas, Trujillo, Nueva Esparta and Miranda, many waving Venezuelan flags. In Caracas, the crowd chanted: “Maduro, continue, the people rise.”

Interim President Delcy Rodríguezspeaking at a public social sector event in Caracas, again condemned the US military action on Saturday.

“There is a government, that of President Nicolas Maduro, and I have the responsibility to take charge of it as long as his kidnapping lasts… We will not stop condemning this criminal aggression,” she declared, referring to Maduro’s ouster.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump said on social media: “I love the Venezuelan people and I am already making Venezuela prosperous and secure again.” »

After the shocking military action that toppled Maduro, Trump said the United States would govern the South American country and demanded access to oil resources, which he promised to use “for the benefit of the people” of both countries.

Venezuela and the United States announced Friday that they were evaluating the restoration of diplomatic relationsbroken since 2019, and the reopening of their respective diplomatic missions. A mission from Donald Trump’s administration arrived in this South American country on Friday, the State Department said.

As the world awaits the fate of the South American country, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil responded to Pope Leo XIVwho called Friday for the maintenance of peace and “respect for the will of the Venezuelan people.”

“With respect for the Holy Father and his spiritual authority, Venezuela reaffirms that it is a country that builds, works and defends its sovereignty with peace and dignity,” Gil said on his Telegram account, inviting the pontiff “to know this reality more closely.”