Venezuela Releases 99 Detainees After 2024 Elections Amid Continued Political Repression
On Christmas Day, Venezuela announced the release of 99 detainees who had participated in protests following the 2024 electoral process, marking the largest political-prisoner release this year. The government framed the releases as an expression of peace and respect for human rights, contextualizing them amid perceived U.S. aggression and multilateral pressure.
Those freed were charged with violence and incitement to hatred related to post-election protests. The release occurred in the early hours of Christmas Day, but no prominent opposition figures known to be detained were included. Opposition leader María Corina Machado remains in exile, and a 17-year-old, Gabriel José Rodríguez Méndez, who was convicted of terrorism the previous week, was not among those released. The group freed includes at least three other teenagers.
Several of those released were granted conditional liberty, with travel bans, court appearances, and media restrictions applied. Civil society groups criticized the move as selective and insufficient, noting that approximately 900 to 1,000 political prisoners remain detained. Independent verification of the exact number released has not been confirmed by these groups, which also highlight ongoing repression and limited freedoms for opposition figures in Venezuela.
