Venezuela to Release 300 Detainees After Prison Death Scrutiny

The Venezuelan government announced plans this week to release 300 people from custody, some of whom have been detained for years for what human rights defenders classify as political reasons. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez made the announcement on Tuesday during a legislative session in Caracas.

Rodríguez stated the government was not asking for anything in return for the gesture. He added that if anyone became aware of an opposition member committing a crime against public funds, they should report it, and the government would assist in filing a complaint. He did not explicitly refer to those slated for release as political prisoners.

The announcement comes amid scrutiny over the recent death of Carmen Navas, the 82-year-old mother of a man considered a political prisoner. Navas died on Sunday, ten days after Venezuela's prisons agency announced that her son, Víctor Hugo Quero, had died in July while hospitalized in custody. Quero, a 51-year-old salesperson, had been detained since January. According to an official statement, he died of acute respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary thromboembolism after being hospitalized for a gastrointestinal issue. The...