The Daily Journal. — Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal reported the release of six political prisoners so far this month. The group includes former opposition lawmaker José Sánchez, widely known as “Mazuco.”
Authorities arrested Sánchez “Mazuco” on September 30, 2024, in Zulia state amid the political crisis that followed the July 2024 presidential election. After the arrest, his relatives said they did not know where authorities had taken him and stressed that the former legislator no longer participated in politics, dedicating himself instead to private business activities. The human rights organization confirmed that authorities held him at Rodeo I Prison in Miranda state.
According to the official list that Foro Penal President Alfredo Romero published on X, the other five individuals released are former military officer Adrián De Gouveia, teenager Enyerbeth Porras, Jackson Vera, José Ramón Carabela, and former Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) executive Adolfo Torres.
Authorities granted former Air Force Major Adrián De Gouveia humanitarian release after he had spent time in Ramo Verde Prison in Miranda since 2018. According to the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (Clippve), officials approved his release after confirming that the June 24 twin earthquakes had claimed the lives of his wife, mother-in-law, and niece.
Enyerbeth Porras was the last teenager whom Foro Penal still listed as a political prisoner in Venezuela. Authorities arrested him in early 2025, when he was 15 years old, accusing him of terrorism and cybercrime.
Former oil executive Adolfo Torres, 59, had remained in custody since September 2017. Foro Penal Vice President Gonzalo Himiob explained that authorities arrested Torres in Zulia state along with other members of the subsidiary’s management team on charges of criminal association, causing damage to the oil industry resulting in disaster, and illegal trafficking of strategic materials.
Detention figures in Venezuela
Following the recent releases, Foro Penal’s updated records show that 371 political prisoners remain in detention in Venezuela, including 346 men and 25 women.
The Venezuelan government, however, maintains that the country holds no one for political reasons. Officials argue that the detainees face prosecution for alleged common crimes under the country’s current legal framework.
