The human rights organization Foro Penal, which leads the defense of political prisoners in Venezuela, reported yesterday on at least 80 new releases in the country in the last few hours. This is part of the release process announced by the government of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez on January 8. "There are probably more releases," wrote Alfredo Romero, president of Foro Penal, on social media platform X. In an interview with EFE, Gonzalo Himiob, vice president of Foro Penal, indicated that since early Sunday morning, "a significant number of releases are taking place." "We have verified more than 80 so far, but there could be more," he added. In a post on X, Himiob reported "with great joy" the release of Foro Penal volunteer lawyer Kenny Tejeda Jiménez, who, he assured, "was arbitrarily detained" since August 2, 2024. Tejeda was detained while "providing legal assistance" to citizens at a command post of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) in Carabobo state (north), amid the crisis following the July 2024 presidential elections, in which the opposition led by María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia denounced fraud. "At least 80 political prisoners that we are verifying have been released today across the country."
