CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan human rights activist Javier Tarazona, an ally of opposition leader María Corina Machado, was released from prison after the government promised to free political prisoners in an amnesty bill, rights organizations and family members said on Sunday.
Tarazona, the director of the Venezuelan nonprofit human rights group FundaRedes, was arrested in July 2021, after reporting to authorities that he had been harassed by national intelligence officials. Two other activists of the group were also detained at the time.
According to Venezuela’s Foro Penal, a nonprofit that monitors the situation of political prisoners in the country, 310 who were jailed for political reasons had been released until Saturday and 700 others are still waiting to be freed.
“After 1675 days, four years and seven months, this wishful day has arrived. My brother Javier Tarazona is free,” José Rafael Tarazona Sánchez wrote on X. “Freedom for one is hope for all.”
Tarazona was released shortly after the arrival to Caracas of U.S. Charge d’Affaires Laura Dogu, who will reopen the American diplomatic mission after seven years of severed ties. It comes after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a military action that removed the South American country’s former President Nicolás Maduro from office and brought him to trial in the U.S.
Dogu, who was previously ambassador in Nicaragua and Honduras, arrived in Venezuela one day after the country’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, announced an amnesty bill to release political prisoners. That move was one of the key demands of the Venezuelan opposition.
Venezuela's government had accused Tarazona of terrorism, a frequent accusation it makes against real or potential opposition members. Tarazona was vocal against illegal armed groups on the country's border with Colombia and their alleged connection to high-ranked members of the Maduro administration.
Nonprofit Amnesty International reported that Tarazona's health had deteriorated due to lack of medical attention during his time in prison.
“All of Venezuela admires you and respects your bravery and your commitment," Machado said on X. “You, better than anyone, know that there will be justice in Venezuela. Freedom for all political prisoners.”
Venezuela's government denies it jails members of the opposition and accuses them of conspiring to bring it down.
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Children look out at a pro-government march to demand the release of deposed President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, from a window in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
