After spending 17 months deprived of liberty, the lawyer and human rights defender humans, Kennedy Tejeda, was finally released this January 25, as confirmed by Alfredo Romero, director of the NGO Foro Penal, through his official account on X (@alfredoromero).
“Our dear comrade Kennedy Tejeda, lawyer, human rights defender, political prisoner in Tocorón since August 2, 2024. Already at home with his family,” he published.
Early this Sunday morning, The doors of the Tocorón penitentiary center opened for Tejeda, who had been detained since August 2, 2024.
The lawyer, who was working as a volunteer for Foro Penal in the state of Carabobo, was arrested under circumstances that various organizations described as a criminalization of legal defense.
Early morning of secrecy
Tejeda’s ordeal began when he went to the Rural Command of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) in Montalbán to cCheck the whereabouts of citizens arrested during post-election protests. After his arrest, he was transferred to the Dgcim headquarters in Valencia and subsequently detained in Tocorón, where he remained until today.
Tejeda’s release was not an isolated case. From the early hours of this January 25, Foro Penal teams verified a wave of mass releases which covers several penitentiary centers in the country.
It is estimated that more than 80 political prisoners would have beenreceived freedom measures in centers such as INOF and Tocuyito. Among the confirmed names is the Carabobo deputy, Carlos Molina, who has been detained in Tocorón since August 17, 2024. after being intercepted at the end of a political rally.
Relatives of those detained in Tocorón reported a night of high tension. He liberation operation occurred after complaints of a general outage of the electrical serviceor in the prison and the unusual entry of official vehicles during the early hours of January 24, which preceded the departure of the citizens who Today they are reunited with their families.
