Venezuela Frees 24 Political Prisoners as Jail Deaths Top 60 Since April
VENEZUELA · HUMAN RIGHTS
Key Facts
- —The country Venezuela has about 28.5 million people. Since US forces seized Nicolás Maduro in January, his former deputy Delcy Rodríguez has governed as acting president.
- —Why it matters Prisoner releases are the main sign that the US-backed talks between government and opposition are producing results. Conditions inside the jails show how much has not changed.
- —What happened Foro Penal had verified 24 political prisoners freed since Friday 25 September by Sunday evening. On Monday 28 September a prisons watchdog said more than 60 inmates had died in custody since April.
- —Who is involved Foro Penal, a volunteer lawyers’ network, counts political detainees. The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP) tracks the wider prison population, mostly ordinary criminal inmates.
- —What it means for you Short detentions of opposition activists continue. A party member was held for hours on Sunday during a peaceful caravan, and Western travel warnings remain in place.
- —Still open Foro Penal says it is still verifying cases. The OVP death count has not been matched by any official figure.
Venezuela released at least 24 political prisoners over the weekend, the rights group Foro Penal says. On Monday a prisons watchdog put a different number beside it: more than 60 Venezuela prison deaths in state custody since April.
The two counts measure different things. Together they show a system that is releasing its best-known detainees while conditions for everyone else remain dire.
The releases
Foro Penal, a network of volunteer lawyers, had verified 20 releases by Saturday afternoon, El Nacional and El Estímulo reported. Its own update on Sunday evening raised the figure to 24.
The releases began on Friday, when government and opposition closed a second round of talks backed by Washington. Before them, Foro Penal counted 344 political prisoners.
At least six of those freed were linked to Operation Gedeon, a failed seaborne raid on Venezuela in May 2020, both outlets reported. The first wave was covered in Venezuela Frees 39 Detainees After Opposition Talks; Hundreds Still Jailed.
The deaths in custody
The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP), a non-governmental group, said on Monday that more than 60 people had died in state custody since April. Confirmado and El Periodiquito reported the figure.
Its latest case is Luis Alejandro García, 30, who died in the Tocuyito prison in Carabobo state. The OVP says he apparently died of tuberculosis.
According to the watchdog, Tocuyito holds more than 2,200 inmates in space built for 1,400. It says overcrowding and late diagnosis turn prisons into breeding grounds for disease.
These Venezuela prison deaths are mostly among ordinary criminal inmates, not political detainees. In August the OVP counted 51 deaths from April to July, El Diario reported. It named tuberculosis, severe dehydration and acute diarrhoea among the causes.
On the streets
On Sunday, caravans in 11 states demanded a safe return for opposition leader María Corina Machado, Efecto Cocuyo and El Diario reported. Organisers also demanded a timetable for a presidential election, El Diario reported.
In Maracaibo, National Guard troops detained Fernando Torrealba of Machado’s party, Vente Venezuela, El Pitazo and TalCual reported. He was freed later on Sunday, according to El Nacional.
Machado remains outside the country. The government’s chief negotiator, Jorge Rodríguez, has denied that authorities are blocking her return (see Venezuela Opposition Aide Flies Home While Machado Stays Stuck in Panama).
What Is Not Yet Known
Foro Penal says it is still verifying cases, so the final release total may rise. It has not yet published an updated count of those still held.
The OVP figure is the group’s own tally, and no official count was cited alongside it. It is also unclear whether any investigation has followed García’s death.
Sources: Foro Penal, update of 27 September 2026; El Nacional; El Estímulo; Confirmado; El Periodiquito; El Diario; Efecto Cocuyo; El Pitazo; TalCual.
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