Venezuelans in the US denounce "simulation and deception" by Venezuela regarding the release of prisoners

Miami (USA).- The Venezuelan diaspora in the United States denounced this Tuesday "maneuvers of simulation or deception" by the Government of the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, considering that the releases of political prisoners have been "symbolic" so far and persecution persists. The Multicultural Association of Activists Voice and Expression (Amavex), which brings together Venezuelans in Florida, condemned in a statement "any attempt by the Venezuelan regime to project a false image of pacification before the international community." "We do not accept selective or symbolic releases while the whereabouts and integrity of hundreds of people remain at risk. Justice is not negotiable or fragmentable. Human rights are not administered as political concessions," said the citizen organization. Their stance aligns with that of Venezuelan opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, who this Tuesday denounced that "the mass release of prisoners" announced by the Venezuelan government five days ago "is not being carried out in the terms announced."

The official voice of the two exiled Venezuelan politicians stated in a statement that "the figure of 116 released prisoners, disseminated by the regime on Monday, January 12, does not correspond to reality", as "human rights organizations have only been able to verify that of 56 people" so far.

Citizens and opponents have questioned the announcement last Thursday by Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and brother of the acting president, of a "significant number" of releases after the US military operation on January 3 that led to the capture of the ruler Nicolás Maduro.

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Amavex added that the existence of political prisoners, clandestine detention centers, forced disappearances, and structural censorship in Venezuela, where "political persecution, arbitrary detention, torture, and the silencing of dissent persist," "remains an unacceptable reality."

They demand proof of life and total release of political prisoners

The association requested a proof of life and total release of political prisoners, the full restoration of freedom of expression, and the verifiable dismantling of torture centers with an "immediate entry of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and "of the UN investigation mechanisms." This adds to a positioning by the Organization of Venezuelan Political Persecuted in Exile (Veppex), which this Saturday accused President Rodríguez of an "evident attempt to make fun of the United States and the international community" because the release of political prisoners has been partial.