Within the framework of the releases that the government has been carrying out since January 3, today the release of one of the opposition leader's close men was completed. After eight months in prison, this is one of the most high-profile releases to date. The day has been marked by several releases of opponents, including Luis Somaza, former councilor of Leopoldo López's party, and Perkins Rocha, legal advisor of the largest opposition coalition.

First modification: 02/08/2026 - 23:13

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This Sunday, February 8, the releases of those considered political prisoners in Venezuela continued. Leading the way was the departure of Juan Pablo Guanipa, a leader opposed to Chavismo and one of the men closest to the opposition leader María Corina Machado.

Guanipa, who was one of the biggest critics of Nicolás Maduro's administration, was released after spending the last eight months in prison. Due to its high profile, it is one of the most notable releases since the process began after the capture of the Venezuelan president in a United States military raid.

"I announce that my father, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was released minutes ago. After more than eight months of unjust prison and more than a year and a half separated, our entire family will soon be able to hug each other again," his son Ramón announced on his X account.

He later posted a video of his father, who said his first words after his release from prison. Juan Pablo asserted that there is "a lot to talk about about the present and future of Venezuela." "Always with the truth ahead," he concluded.

Guanipa was arrested on May 23 of last year, when he remained in hiding. His arrest occurred in a police operation against an alleged plan that sought to mount a boycott of the regional and legislative commissions. He was also accused of "terrorist acts."

Back on the street, Guanipa and Jesús Armas, another opponent released this Sunday, led a caravan of motorcycles and cars to several prisons to demand "the immediate freedom of all political prisoners in Venezuela."

"Venezuela is a country that deserves to live in freedom, in democracy. I want us all to assume that this country was saved, that Venezuela is moving forward, that we are going to manage to develop democracy," said the former deputy.

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According to the NGO Foro Penal, at least 35 of those considered political prisoners were released this Sunday. Among them they mention another opposition leader, Freddy Superlano, elected governor of Barinas in 2021 and figure from Leopoldo López's Voluntad Popular party. However, in his X account, his wife Aurora clarified that "my husband is not with us yet, however, we are very excited to have him in our home in the next few hours."

Another close friend of Machado who was released from prison this Sunday is Perkins Rocha, who serves as legal advisor to the Democratic Unitary Platform, as reported by his wife María Constanza Cipriani.

"We already spoke with our children. Perkins Rocha is released with very strict precautions. Now we advocate for full freedom," Cipriani noted on his X account.

Vente Venezuela, the party founded by Machado, revealed that several of its leaders were released this Sunday, including the coordinator of the Portuguese State, María Oropeza, who broadcast live her arrest by military intelligence agents when they broke into her house with a crowbar, on August 6, 2024.

On the same day, the release of Luis Somaza, a member of the Voluntad Popular party, was also completed after almost a year of "unjust confinement", as described by the political space in X.

"Their story is that of many Venezuelans persecuted for not giving up, for not being silent, for believing that democracy is a right and not a privilege," wrote the account of the group headed by Leopoldo López.

Celebrations of Machado and González Urrutia

María Corina Machado expressed her joy at the release of Juan Pablo Guanipa, who served as a deputy for the opposition Primero Justicia party. The exiled anti-Chavista leader even described him as a "hero" in a statement issued on X.

"Counting the minutes to hug you! You are a hero and history will always recognize it. Freedom for all political prisoners!" he stated on his personal account.

The one who also reacted was Edmundo González Urrutia. "The release of several political prisoners that occurred today did not require a law to occur. I am glad that they are out of those dungeons," he stressed.

However, González Urrutia – whom the opposition considers the winner of the last presidential elections in Venezuela – stressed that these releases from prison are not equivalent to "full freedom." "We continue to demand the full and immediate freedom of all people imprisoned for political reasons and the definitive closure of arbitrary processes," he said.

Criticism of the lack of transparency regarding releases

The numbers of those released from prison are not clear, an aspect that continues to attract criticism from non-governmental organizations.

At least 391 people have been released from prison in Venezuela since January 8, according to the opposition. For its part, the NGO Foro Penal has 383.

The figures provided by the government point to 895. However, the ruling party counts from those that were carried out in December 2025, even with Maduro in power.

The NGO Espacio Público, dedicated to the defense of freedom of expression, questioned this Sunday that, a month after the start of the release process, the government of the president in charge Delcy Rodríguez "has systematically refused to publish the official lists of those released, and this causes opacity to grow and generates deep damage in the families of the detainees", who are subject to "re-victimization" and contemplate that "the reparation of justice seems distant."

In its press release, the organization stressed that "the method or pattern used is that they are releasing them in dribs and drabs," which is why "anguish and desperation has grown in the relatives, who have set themselves up in camps in the prisons."

For this reason, Espacio Público asked "urgently" for "the opacity to end," which, in its opinion, is "a form of psychological torture for families."

Likewise, he demanded that "the judicial cases be closed, that everyone be given full freedom and that the repressive system be truly dismantled."

With EFE

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