Machado Calls for Release of Venezuela’s Political Prisoners
Machado joined relatives and human rights activists at a makeshift camp outside El Rodeo I, a maximum-security prison about 36 miles southeast of Caracas. Families have kept a vigil there for more than 300 days, seeking the release of their loved ones. Machado returned to Venezuela less than two weeks ago after more than 10 months in exile.
She read names from a partial list of detainees and said some people had been held for months or as long as two decades because of their political activities. Machado said the list was incomplete, including because some families were afraid to report detentions. She also cited people who had died in custody and called for justice for victims and reparations for their families.
Families and rights groups say hundreds remain imprisoned despite an amnesty law that took effect in February. Foro Penal, which monitors detentions in Venezuela, puts the number held for political reasons at 322. The government does not recognize the existence of political prisoners. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez’s government has overseen releases, but families and rights groups are demanding that all detainees be freed and that authorities provide more information.
On November 2, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Venezuela’s foreign minister, Oliver Blanco, in Washington. The State Department said they discussed reconciliation talks and institutional reforms intended to lay groundwork for free and credible elections. Rubio also called for the release of the remaining political prisoners. Machado and her political platform are not participating in the talks, though she has said she will not obstruct them.
Venezuela’s Prisoner Releases Still Fall Short
More than 300 days of vigils outside El Rodeo I have not ended the wait for families seeking the release of their loved ones. On November 6, opposition leader María Corina Machado joined them at the prison in Guatire and renewed her demand that every political detainee be freed.
The amnesty law took effect in February, and the government has overseen releases. Yet Foro Penal estimates that 322 people remain detained for political reasons. Families and rights groups say the releases are incomplete and are demanding transparency as well as freedom for everyone still behind bars. The government does not recognize that political prisoners exist.
Machado read names from a partial list and said some people had been held for months or as long as two decades because of political activities. She said the list left people out, including where relatives feared reporting detentions, and called for justice for victims and reparations for families.
Washington’s discussions with Venezuela’s foreign minister have included institutional reforms meant to lay the groundwork for free and credible elections, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for remaining political prisoners to be released. But Machado and her political platform are outside those talks. For families still waiting, dialogue and partial releases do not substitute for the freedom they are demanding.
Prisoner Releases and Talks Put Venezuela at a Turning Point
Venezuela’s government has begun releasing detainees and an amnesty law took effect in February, but opposition leader María Corina Machado is pressing for every political prisoner to be freed. She joined relatives outside El Rodeo I prison in Guatire on November 6, where families have maintained a vigil for more than 300 days.
Foro Penal estimates that 322 people remain detained for political reasons. Families and human rights groups say hundreds are still behind bars and are demanding complete releases and more detailed information. The government does not recognize the existence of political prisoners, while Machado says the detainees’ names and circumstances must not be forgotten.
Machado read a partial list, saying some people had been held for months or as long as two decades because of political activities. She also called for justice for victims and reparations for their families. Her political platform is not taking part in the reconciliation talks, though she has said she will not obstruct them.
The talks have included institutional reforms intended to support free and credible elections. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also called for the remaining political prisoners to be released. The challenge now is to turn those discussions and the releases already underway into a process that families can see and trust, with all detainees accounted for and the promised political reforms pursued.
Reported by Local 10 Miami, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
