WILLEMSTAD – Venezuelan authorities have released several detainees since the United States launched its military intervention on January 3, but around 1,000 people are still being held for politically motivated reasons. That assessment comes from Amnesty International, citing information from local civil society groups in Venezuela.
According to Amnesty International, the releases represent a long-overdue relief for some victims, but fall far short of what is needed. “The end of any arbitrary detention is a necessary and long-awaited relief for the victims who have been released,” said Ana Piquer, warning that hundreds more remain deprived of their freedom for political reasons.
The organization is calling on Venezuelan authorities to immediately release all remaining political detainees. Amnesty also urges the government to stop subjecting those who have already been freed to further harassment through arbitrary or discriminatory investigations and criminal proceedings.
According to Amnesty, many of the released individuals continue to face restrictive measures that limit their personal freedom, such as travel bans or mandatory periodic reporting to courts. These conditions, the organization says, often create ongoing fear and insecurity among former detainees and their families.
“The fact that the Venezuelan government’s repressive policies remain intact and fully in force must not go unnoticed,” Piquer stated. Amnesty International emphasizes that genuine progress on human rights requires not only releases, but a complete end to arbitrary detention and politically motivated persecution.