Families demand release of Venezuela’s political detainees

Описание: (7 Feb 2026)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Caracas, Venezuela – 07 Feb 2026
1. Various of relatives and activists protesting, holding banner and chanting UPSOUND (Spanish) "Freedom, freedom"
2. Woman wearing t-shirt reading (Spanish): "Freedom to all the political prisoners." and shouting UPSOUND No name given (Spanish): “He (former Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro) trampled the Constitution and deserves to be in prison. You deserve it for all the suffering you caused our children.”
3. Relatives and activists protesting, chanting and showing photos of prisoners UPSOUND (Spanish) "We are not afraid, we are not afraid"
4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Maira Morales, sister of prisoner:
"Where are the Gedeones (political prisoners from Operation Gideon)? We ask for proof of life of the Gedeones (prisoners). It is not fair that we do not know where our families are. What did they do to my brother? How is my brother's health? We need help. Where are they? We need them to send doctors to Fuerte Guaicaipuro (military prison), because they are sick."
5. Various of relatives and activists protesting
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Carlos Julio Rojas, journalist:
"There has to be a general amnesty for all political prisoners since 1999. There are political prisoners who have been held for more than 20 years. The Guevaras, Rolando Guevara, who was my fellow here in the Helicoide (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service building). Cases like Luis Molina, one of the Metropolitan Police officers who was my fellow at Ramo Verde (prison). I want to tell you all that I have been detained on five occasions, three with judicial procedures, simply for defending rights."
7. Wide of protesters
8. Women crying during protest
9. Woman singing Venezuela's national anthem, holding a banner reading (Spanish): "Freedom"
STORYLINE:
Dozens of relatives and friends of Venezuelan opposition leaders, human rights defenders and others detained for their political activities protested Saturday outside a notorious prison in the capital to demand the immediate release of their loved ones.

The demonstration outside Helicoide prison in Caracas comes during mounting pressure on the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez to release all people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked by their families and nongovernmental organizations to their political beliefs.

Her government last month announced it would free a significant number of prisoners, but families and human rights watchdogs have criticized authorities for the slow pace of the releases.

Rodríguez last month also promised to close Helicoide, where torture and other forms of physical and psychological abuse of prisoners have been extensively documented.

She said the facility, which was initially built to be a mall, would be turned into a cultural, social and sports center for police forces and adjacent neighborhoods.

Those gathered Saturday outside the facility included political activists released from prison over the past month.

They joined families and friends in prayer before marching about two blocks to reach the doors of Helicoide, where they sang Venezuela’s national anthem and chanted “Freedom! Freedom!”

Maira Morales, the sister of military officer Ricardo Fonseca, who was detained in 2020 for his alleged involvement in a so-called raid to oust then-Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, named Operation Gideon, questioned the authorities for their lack of information on his whereabouts.



AP video shot by Andry Rincón

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