This Wednesday, Deputy Luis Florido requested the president of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, to formally deliver the list of releases of political prisoners which was announced during the parliamentary session the previous day.
The request was made through a letter in which Florido described the announcement as a positive gesture, but insisted on the need for transparency and compliance with the publicly assumed commitment.
“We want to welcome as positive the gesture and disposition shown during the debate held yesterday in the National Assembly, aimed at continuing with the release of political prisoners, a debate in which you promised to deliver the list of the 400 people who, according to your own information, have been released. We appreciate that said information was sent to us as soon as possible,” the document states.
He parliamentary He warned that, despite the announcement, numerous citizens still remain behind bars, including political leaders and ordinary people, whose only “crime”—he stated—has been exercising fundamental rights.
At the same time, he recalled that, according to human rights organizations, more than 800 people remain deprived of liberty for political reasons. Among the cases mentioned are those of Freddy Superlano, Carlos Molina, Juan Pablo Guanipa, Dinorah Hernández, Perkins Rocha, Javier Tarazona and Henry Alviarez. He also made reference to lesser-known detainees, such as doctor Enrique Ferreira, activists Eliecer Sánchez and Alejandro Yépez, and doctor Marggie Orozco, sentenced to 30 years for a publication on social networks.
Political prisoners reveal institutional fragility
In his letter, the deputy warned about the institutional seriousness that the existence of political prisoners in the country represents.
“The mere fact of recognizing the existence of hundreds of political prisoners shows the profound institutional weakness of the Venezuelan justice systemwhich does not act as an independent power, but rather a deeply conditioned one.”
In that sense, he reiterated that the solidity of a republic is measured by the quality of its institutions and the respect they generate.
Florido also valued positively the willingness expressed by Rodríguez to “lower arrogance” in political exercise, and assured that his parliamentary faction is willing to support any real progress towards the democratization of the country.
“We are willing to support the institutional reforms that lead to this, as long as they respond to the national interest and guarantee equality, justice and freedom for all Venezuelans,” he stated.
The legislator called for strengthening public powers – the National Electoral Council, the judicial system, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Comptroller’s Office, the Attorney General’s Office and the National Assembly itself – as an essential condition to regain citizen trust. He also highlighted the impact of the Venezuelan exodus as a reflection of institutional deterioration.
“We live in a country where more than eight million Venezuelans have emigrated, and that is an irrefutable symptom of institutional deterioration that we must urgently correct so that our brothers can return home.”
Florido also agreed with the recent statements of the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, who stated that “Venezuela is experiencing a new political moment,” and expressed her hope that this scenario will serve to strengthen the country’s freedoms and institutions.
NGO will verify legitimacy of political prisoners
Regarding the list of releases, Jorge Rodríguez declared on January 8 that “the Bolivarian government together with the State institutions has decided to release a significant number of Venezuelans and foreigners” as a unilateral gesture. However, he did not offer details about the names or number of beneficiaries. It was not until this Tuesday, during the parliamentary session, when he assured that he would make the list of released people available.
Given this announcement, the NGO Foro Penal reported that will carefully review the names once the list is published.
“If the list is published, we will review whether the released people are indeed political prisoners, because what the Penal Forum registers are the political prisoners who are currently imprisoned and who are awaiting their freedom and not any other prisoner who in some way or discretion can be released or imprisoned,” the organization said.
To date, the Penal Forum has confirmed 72 releases, while the Executive maintains that the figure amounts to 406 people.
