Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González, has been released from prison, his wife has said, more than a year after he was detained as part of a crackdown on Maduro government critics and their relatives.
Mariana González said her husband returned home after 380 days of unjust and arbitrary detention. Tudares is one of more than 150 detainees who have been released since a U.S. military operation that saw Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro taken to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.
An NGO advocating for political prisoners has noted that 777 still remain incarcerated. Tension within Venezuela is palpable as Maduro's former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, is now in power, having received backing from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The interim government has been focusing on releasing political prisoners, a step that the Trump administration has pressed for since the recent raid. However, reports indicate that many of those released face legal uncertainties and restrictions on public statements.
Tudares's case was emblematic of the repression that followed Venezuela's 2024 presidential election, during which his father-in-law emerged as a major opponent of Maduro, particularly after other opposition leaders were barred from contesting.
Despite the precarious state of the political environment, Mariana González expressed gratitude for support received during her husband's fight for freedom but reminded people that many families are still suffering from losses of loved ones to arbitrary detentions.
Many have been holding vigils in hope of remaining political prisoners being released, while the effects of Maduro's tight control continue to grip the nation.
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