The Maduro regime continued to release political prisoners today, following the conditional release of 39 individuals yesterday. Minister of Communication Jorge Rodriguez said that between yesterday’s round and today’s, 79 political prisoners have now been released from prison.
As was the case yesterday, the 40 political prisoners selected for release today were taken to the foreign ministry headquarters in Caracas’ Casa Amarilla, where they were made to sit in front of television cameras and to participate in an official event marking their release.
The event was headed by Constituent Assembly president Delcy Rodriguez, who also heads a body that the Maduro regime is calling a “Truth Commission”.
Similar to the conditions attached to the prisoners released yesterday, those released today must appear before a judge every 30 days, are banned from leaving the country, and from speaking to the media.
The video below shows the moment that one of the political prisoners released today walked out of the El Helicoide, the headquarters of the regime’s political police in Caracas:
The releases took place throughout the day. The video below shows another political prisoner, Gabriel Valles, being released:
Among the individuals released today were three National Assembly deputies: Pedro Pablo Fernandez, Gilber Caro, and Renzo Pietro.
Raul Emilio Baduel, whose father Raul Baduel was a Minister of Defense under Chavez and is also a political prisoner, was also released today. Raul Emilio released a message through his Twitter account following his release, saying:
I want to dedicate these first free lines to each and everyone one of the men and women who have suffered or are suffering unjustly as a result of their principles and convictions in the name of light, democracy, and good.
The releases have drawn condemnation from some observers, who criticized the releases as absurd on a number of levels.
Caracas Chronicles‘ Naky Soto called yesterday’s releases “a mockery”, since the 39 individuals were not granted full liberty. Soto points out that the individuals received conditional releases, and that many of them are prohibited from speaking to the media about their cases, leaving the country, and must appear before a judge at regular intervals.
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