Venezuela Protest Camp Ends After 10 Months

Relatives of Venezuelan political prisoners closed their protest camp outside El Rodeo I, a prison near Caracas, on Sunday 8 November 2026 after about 300 days. Clippve, the Venezuelan committee campaigning for their release, says the campaign will continue elsewhere.

How the Camp Ended

On Sunday 8 November 2026, relatives and activists of the Comité por la Libertad de los Presos Políticos, known as Clippve, formally closed the “Campamento de la Dignidad” (Dignity Camp). The camp stood outside El Rodeo I, a prison in Miranda state, near Caracas.

A plaque honouring the families was unveiled at the ceremony. Two days earlier, opposition leader María Corina Machado had joined the families at the prison, as we covered in our report on her visit to El Rodeo I.

Clippve announced the closing ceremony on social media. It describes the closure as a new stage in the campaign, not as an end to it.

Ten Months Outside the Gates

The camp began on Thursday 8 January 2026, when Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, announced releases of political prisoners. Relatives then travelled to the prison and settled nearby.

Families say they found a way to communicate with detainees from a hill they called “the mountain of freedom”. They also say they won entry to the prison without a hood.

These are the families’ own accounts, and we have not independently confirmed them. Families and Clippve also allege torture and cruel treatment inside El Rodeo I.

A Change of Stage, Not an End

Clippve says the closure changes the stage, not the goal, and that the vigil moves to other places with the same purpose. Activist Sairam Rivas said the mobilisation will continue elsewhere, including a tour of embassies and international institutions.

Clippve’s tally is that more than 400 people remain deprived of liberty for political reasons nationwide, a figure we cannot confirm. Other counts differ by group and date.

For background, we have written about the count of political prisoners and the prisoner transfers out of El Rodeo I. We have also covered earlier releases and jail deaths.

What It Means for You

The closure shows that the campaign for Venezuela‘s political prisoners is changing form, not ending. The camp itself had run for almost ten months.

For readers with business or family ties to Venezuela, the camp had been a visible protest on the issue. Clippve says it will now take its case to embassies and international institutions.

What Is Not Known

It is not known how many political prisoners remain at El Rodeo I itself, because counts differ by group and date. Nor is it known whether further releases are coming.

It is not clear where the vigil will move, and we found no government response to the closure. The embassy visits will show how the families choose to carry their case forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the Dignity Camp close?

Clippve calls it a change of stage, not an end. It says the vigil moves elsewhere with the same purpose.

How long did the camp last?

It lasted about 300 days, from Thursday 8 January 2026 to Sunday 8 November 2026. It began after Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, announced releases.

How many political prisoners are there in Venezuela?

Clippve says more than 400 people remain deprived of liberty for political reasons nationwide. That is the committee’s figure and has not been independently confirmed.