The Daily Journal — Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal reported Wednesday that authorities released Colonel José Jesús Lozano Mogollón, who had remained in custody since August 9, 2024. Authorities arrested him after he told a subordinate that he disagreed with the results announced by the electoral authority in the 2024 presidential election.
Legal background and denial of appeals
According to a ruling issued by the Criminal Cassation Chamber of Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) on July 8, 2025, the court sentenced Lozano Mogollón to four years in prison for incitement to rebellion. The ruling stated that the officer privately said the official election results did not favor the ruling party and that Edmundo González Urrutia had won the election.
During the proceedings, his wife, Francis Rodríguez, appealed the court’s decision. However, Justice Carmen Castro Gilly denied the request through a restrictive interpretation of the law, according to reports from the NGO Acceso a la Justicia. Authorities also denied the officer’s request for amnesty under the law approved by Parliament last February.
Releases and political prisoner figures
The release follows the announcement made by Foro Penal on July 15, when authorities released six political prisoners after the emergency caused by the twin earthquakes in June. Those released included former opposition lawmaker José Sánchez “Mazuco,” who authorities had detained in September 2024, as well as Adrián De Gouveia, Enyerbeth Porras, Jackson Vera, Adolfo Torres, and José Ramón Carabela.
According to Foro Penal’s latest registry, 379 political prisoners remain in Venezuela, including 353 men and 26 women.
Government officials reject claims that Venezuela holds people for political reasons and maintain that the detainees face imprisonment for common criminal offenses. Human rights organizations and opposition groups dispute that position.
