Venezuela's government has released prominent opposition figures, including politician Juan Pablo Guanipa and well-known lawyer Perkins Rocha, according to recent statements, marking another high-profile release amid sustained pressure from the United States to free political detainees. Human rights organization Foro Penal said at least 30 political prisoners were released on Sunday alone, bringing the total number of confirmed releases since early January to 383.
Both men are close allies of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. Rocha, a lawyer linked to the Vente Venezuela movement, had been detained since August 2024 on terrorism-related charges, while Guanipa was arrested last May after spending months in hiding. Their families and supporters have consistently rejected the accusations. Machado welcomed the releases publicly, while reiterating calls for the liberation of all remaining political prisoners.
The releases come as Venezuelan authorities advance an amnesty proposal that would grant clemency to hundreds jailed for political reasons and repurpose the controversial Helicoide detention center into a civilian facility. The government maintains that those detained committed criminal offenses, though it has not published a full list of prisoners eligible for release...
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