On Sunday, Venezuela’s government announced the release of several prominent opposition leaders, including Juan Pablo Guanipa and Perkins Rocha. This news came from statements by the national press union, the opposition party, and the families of those freed.
Juan Pablo Guanipa’s son, Ramón Guanipa Linares, shared his relief on social media, expressing joy that after more than eight months of unjust imprisonment and over a year and a half apart, his family would soon be reunited.
Tragically, just hours after his release, Mr. Guanipa was reportedly ‘kidnapped’ by armed men. This alarming development was confirmed by his son and the opposition leader, María Corina Machado.
Ms. Machado described the incident on social media, stating that heavily armed men in civilian clothing arrived in four vehicles and forcibly took Mr. Guanipa away.
A total of at least 35 political prisoners were released on Sunday, according to the rights organization Foro Penal. This group had reported last week that over 650 individuals remained in detention.
While the government remained silent on the releases, Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, had recently indicated intentions to close El Helicoide, a notorious prison widely condemned as a torture center by human rights groups. She had also previously announced plans for a comprehensive amnesty law.
These long-awaited prisoner releases have sparked cautious optimism that Venezuela’s interim government might be distancing itself from the harsh, repressive tactics characteristic of the former president, Nicolás Maduro.
Following Mr. Maduro’s capture by the United States last month, his former vice president, Ms. Rodríguez, swiftly began efforts to re-establish ties between Venezuela and Washington.
Ms. Rodríguez has actively collaborated with the Trump administration, facilitating oil exports to the U.S. and solidifying her domestic power by removing officials loyal to Mr. Maduro. These actions have caused unease among hard-line elements within the security forces.
This wave of releases also follows recent interrogations by Venezuelan security agents of two influential businessmen, Raúl Gorrín and Alex Saab. Both individuals, linked to Mr. Maduro and facing money laundering accusations in the United States, were detained overnight in Caracas. This incident was widely interpreted as a sign of growing cooperation between Venezuela and the U.S.
However, it remains unclear if Sunday’s prisoner releases truly indicate a significant expansion of political freedoms. Skepticism lingers regarding Ms. Rodríguez’s ability to dismantle the authoritarian system from which she herself benefited.
Experts emphasize that the real measure of change will be whether former prisoners and exiled opposition members are permitted to protest, organize politically, and openly criticize the government without fear of reprisal. The ultimate objective is to achieve credible elections.
Conversely, some interpret these releases as a sincere change of heart by the interim government, particularly after years of opposition figures facing arrests, forced disappearances, torture, or being driven into exile.
Colette Capriles, a political analyst at Simón Bolívar University in Caracas, noted a ‘clear political will’ from the Rodríguez government to abandon its previously unyielding and intolerant approach toward the opposition.
Weeks before his own detention in August 2024, Mr. Rocha had expressed deep distress for his imprisoned colleagues. He acknowledged being in a secure location but remained conscious of the authorities’ persistent efforts to track him down.
He asserted that their final and only remaining tool was to steadfastly adhere to their principles and convictions. He added that the depth of this civic struggle, continuing ‘all the way to the end,’ had never been clearer.
Mr. Rocha had voiced openness to dialogue and an agreement between the opposition and the Maduro government. He warned that without such a resolution, Venezuela would be trapped in ‘a downward spiral of illegitimate institutions,’ ensuring the conflict would persist.
From exile, opposition leader Ms. Machado celebrated the release of her ‘comrades in struggle,’ marking an end to their ‘many months of captivity and injustice.’
She expressed their collective aspiration ‘to work side by side for the Venezuela we have dreamed of for years — and that we are now very close to building.’