A prominent Venezuelan human rights activist was released on Sunday after spending more than four years in one of Caracas’s most notorious prisons, saying he endured 1,675 days behind bars that brought “too much pain for a human being”.
“The message remains the same: four years and seven months in prison did not silence the truth. The truth set me free,” Javier Tarazona told AFP in an interview, hours after leaving the Helicoide prison, where he had been held on charges including terrorism and treason.
Tarazona’s release marks the latest move by Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, to free political prisoners, amid pressure from Washington following the US ousting of Nicolás Maduro on 3 January and its declaration that it is effectively running the South American country.
“I spent 1,675 days in a dark place,” Tarazona said. “It cannot be acceptable for cases like this to continue happening.”
As cries of “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” rang out and Catholic worshippers applauded, the 43-year-old was escorted from prison to the forecourt of a church in Caracas.
Authorities released him outside the church — a common practice in Venezuela — where he was reunited with his brother and his mother, Teresa de Jesús Sánchez García, 71.
He was also reunited with fellow activist Omar de Dios García, who was arrested alongside Tarazona on 2 July 2021. The two men, who at one point shared a cell for four months, embraced for a long time.
“Javier is finally free,” his brother Rafael told AFP.
After praying together, they departed as worshippers at La Candelaria church applauded.
“People are applauding out of a deep longing for freedom, out of hope for reunions among Venezuelans, and out of joy,” Tarazona said.
“People passionately wish to embrace one another with happiness and enthusiasm — without fear.”
Amnesty for political prisoners
One of Venezuela’s most high-profile detained dissidents, Tarazona is among roughly 1,000 political prisoners, some of whom are now being gradually released as the country seeks reforms after years of authoritarian left-wing rule.
He was freed two days after Rodríguez announced the closure of the Helicoide prison and the introduction of a general amnesty law.
That announcement came less than a month after US forces launched an operation in Caracas, seizing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transferring them to New York to face US drug-trafficking charges.
Tarazona, director of the human rights organisation Fundaredes, is a leading opposition figure. Amnesty International and other rights groups had long campaigned for his release.
The legal advocacy group Foro Penal says 711 political prisoners remain in detention. While the government has begun releasing some detainees, relatives and rights organisations say the process has been slow, with hopes that the amnesty will accelerate it.
Tarazona had been imprisoned since July 2021 on charges including treason, terrorism and incitement to hatred.
He is widely known for documenting clashes between Venezuelan security forces and guerrilla groups along the porous 2,000-kilometre border with Colombia. Fundaredes had accused the Maduro government of sheltering Colombian guerrilla leaders inside Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump has said his administration is now overseeing Venezuela’s transition and has allowed Rodríguez to serve as interim leader, provided she aligns with Washington’s priorities — including granting US access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
Rodríguez has since moved quickly to reshape Venezuelan society in line with demands from the Trump administration.
“The closure of the Helicoide does not resolve the problem of injustice in this country,” Tarazona said. “If closing the Helicoide is meant to erase a memory, then we must work to ensure that this never happens again.”
