The president of the Venezuelan NGO Foro Penal, Alfredo Romero, indicated this Sunday that at least 20 political prisoners have been released during the day, among them the doctor Pedro Fernández, arrested last October, one day after the canonization of José Gregorio Hernández and mother Carmen Rendiles.
“At least 20 political prisoners were released today. We continue to verify,” said the activist in a brief message published on X.
The organization has published various videos of relatives meeting the detainees after receiving the release measure.
Romero celebrated that the release process is maintained after the president in charge of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, announced last Friday the proposal for an amnesty law that she asked to be presented in the “next few hours” before the National Assembly (AN).
Al menos 20 presos políticos excarcelados el día de hoy. Seguimos verificando.
— Alfredo Romero (@alfredoromero) February 1, 2026
These are the political prisoners released this #1Feb
Pedro Fernández was detained on October 20 in the state of Mérida (west) by “hooded men without identification,” according to the NGO Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners.
The organization indicated that the subjects took Fernández from his office without a “court order.”
Similarly, the vice president of the Penal Forum, Gonzalo Himiob, also reported the release of Blanca Elena Guerrero de Loaiza, detained since October 17, 2025. In addition to Lorena Guadalupe Gutiérrez Bolívar, deprived of liberty on August 25, 2025.
Other political prisoners released are: Guillermo de Jesús López, Omaira Josefina Salazar and Rodrigo Antonio Pérez Mejías. Also Williams Antonio Díaz Rolong, Mauricio Giampaoli, Víctor Emmanuel Castillo Vizcaya, Yandir Loggiodice and Luis Guillermo Isturiz González.
Javier Tarazona among those released
Among those released is also the director of the NGO Fundaredes, Javier Tarazonawho had spent more than four years in detention, accused of the crimes of incitement to hatred, terrorism and “treason.”
Tarazona was detained on July 2, 2021. This after going to the Prosecutor’s Office headquarters in Coro, capital of the Falcón state, to report that he was being a victim of harassment and persecution by police officials, agents of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service and unidentified subjects, according to the organization.
The activist He was the main voice denouncing a conflict between the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and FARC dissidents. (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) that took place in a border area between both countries that year, due to the lack of official data.
On Friday, Rodríguez announced the proposal for an amnesty law to release political prisoners detained from 1999 to the present, a period that covers the Chavismo governments.
On January 8, Venezuelan authorities announced the release of a “significant number of people.” Although without specifying the quantity, identities or conditions of this measure.
