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CARACAS – Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa announced his release after spending over eight months behind bars. He shared the news through a video on social media.
Guanipa, known for his close association with prominent opposition leader María Corina Machado, had been confined in a detention center located in Caracas.
“We have been freed today,” Guanipa stated in a video message on X, emphasizing the importance of discussing Venezuela’s current state and future while prioritizing truth.
His arrest occurred in late May, with Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello accusing him of being involved in a so-called “terrorist group” that aimed to disrupt the legislative elections that month. Tomás Guanipa, his brother, dismissed these charges, viewing the arrest as a tactic to suppress opposition voices.
“In Venezuela, having differing opinions should not be criminalized. Today, Juan Pablo Guanipa stands as a prisoner of conscience under this regime,” Tomás Guanipa declared following the arrest. “He possesses the right to his beliefs, to defend his viewpoints, and to be treated in accordance with a constitution that is currently being ignored.”
Juan Pablo Guanipa’s release comes during mounting pressure on the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez to release all people whose detentions months or years ago have been linked by their families and nongovernmental organizations to their political beliefs.
Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s acting president after the capture of then President Nicolás Maduro by the U.S. military last month.
Her government last month announced it would free a significant number of prisoners — a central demand of the country’s opposition and human rights organizations with backing from the United States — but families and rights watchdogs have criticized authorities for the slow pace of the releases.
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