Venezuela Frees Dozens Detained During Protests Against Maduro’s Re-Election

Families Celebrate Christmas Releases While Calling for Full Freedom of Hundreds of Remaining Detainees

Venezuelan authorities have released at least 60 people arrested during mass protests against President Nicolás Maduro’s disputed re-election, a human rights advocacy group announced this week. While the move brings relief to some families during the holiday season, activists emphasize that hundreds remain imprisoned in what they describe as a ongoing campaign of political repression.

The releases began in the early hours of Thursday, December 26, according to the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners, a coalition of rights activists and relatives of those detained during the unrest that followed July’s presidential election.

“We celebrate the release of more than 60 Venezuelans, who should never have been arbitrarily detained,” said Andreina Baduel, the committee’s head, in a statement to AFP. “Although they are not entirely free—many remain under restrictive measures—we will continue working for their full freedom and that of all political prisoners.”

Maduro secured a third term in the July 2024 vote, a result widely rejected by the opposition and much of the international community over allegations of systematic fraud and the banning of prominent rival candidates. The disputed outcome triggered weeks of nationwide demonstrations, met with a heavy-handed security response. During the crackdown, authorities arrested approximately 2,400 people, according to local monitoring groups. While nearly 2,000 have since been released, the status of many cases remains unclear.

The latest releases, however, represent only a fraction of those still detained. According to Foro Penal, a leading Venezuelan NGO that documents and provides legal defense for detainees, the country still holds at least 902 political prisoners. The organization defines “political prisoners” as individuals detained for politically motivated reasons, often under broad charges like “conspiracy,” “treason,” or “criminal association.”

Relatives reported that many of those freed had been held in the Tocorón Prison, a maximum-security facility in Aragua state located roughly 134 kilometers (83 miles) from the capital, Caracas. Tocorón has been cited in numerous reports for its overcrowded conditions, violence, and influence by prison gangs. Venezuelan officials have not publicly detailed the legal conditions or reasons for the Christmas releases, leaving uncertainty about whether the individuals face ongoing judicial oversight or restrictions.

The issue is deeply personal for many advocates. Andreina Baduel’s father, Raúl Isaías Baduel, a former defense minister and once a key ally of the late President Hugo Chávez, died in custody in 2021 after being detained on charges critics called politically motivated. Her family’s experience mirrors that of countless others.

“We must remember that there are more than 1,000 families with political prisoners,” Baduel stressed, highlighting the scale of the crisis beyond the recent releases.

The Venezuelan government has consistently denied holding political prisoners, maintaining that all detainees are processed according to the law for criminal offenses. Officials argue that the protests were infiltrated by groups seeking violent destabilization.

International human rights organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, have repeatedly called on Caracas to release all individuals detained for exercising their rights to expression and peaceful assembly. The Christmas releases, while welcomed, are seen by observers as a limited gesture that falls short of addressing systemic concerns over judicial independence and the criminalization of dissent in Venezuela.

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