HRF welcomes the release of prisoners of conscience in Venezuela, including opposition leader @JuanPGuanipa, a close ally of @MariaCorinaYA, but expresses concern that the regime’s repressive apparatus remains intact under Delcy Rodríguez.

The implementation of the regime’s recent amnesty law has been selective and flawed. While the dictatorship presents releases as “concessions,” many former prisoners of conscience continue to face unfounded charges of terrorism and treason, remaining subject to restrictive measures that prevent the full exercise of their civil and political rights. Despite receiving a notice of “full freedom,” Guanipa’s judicial process remains open, illustrating that political persecution in Venezuela has not ceased.

The Venezuelan judicial system continues to be weaponized against dissent. According to @ForoPenal, 568 prisoners of conscience remain unjustly behind bars. Even those released face ongoing persecution. Guanipa, for example, has been blocked by the state from renewing his identity documents for 10 years, which has left him without a valid passport since 2019.

Democracies must pressure Venezuela’s regime to end its criminalization of the opposition and to dismantle its machinery of repression. There can be no true democratic transition while the judiciary remains a tool to silence those who demand respect for the will of the Venezuelan people.