CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) 鈥� The son-in-law of was released on Thursday after being held incommunicado for more than a year, his wife said.
Rafael Tudares Bracho’s release, two months after he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, is part of a by the interim government, after former President Nicol谩s Maduro was captured by American forces to face . The Trump administration has praised the releases as a gesture of goodwill to the United States.
鈥淎fter 380 days of unjust and arbitrary detention 鈥� having endured more than a year of the inhumane reality of enforced disappearance 鈥� my husband Rafael Tudares Bracho returned home this morning,鈥� Mariana Gonz谩lez, daughter of Edmundo Gonz谩lez, said on X. 鈥淚t has been a stoic and profoundly difficult struggle.鈥�
Tudares Bracho was arrested just days before . His wife denounced the legal proceedings as a sham, noting that his trial took place in a single 12-hour session on Nov. 28, resulting in convictions for 鈥渃onspiracy, terrorism and criminal association.鈥� It wasn’t until Jan. 16 that Mariana Gonz谩lez was granted her first 25-minute visit with her husband since his arrest.
The release of Tudares Bracho comes as families of Venezuelan prisoners hold vigils outside prisons and demand the release of nearly 800 imprisoned critics, journalists and members of the opposition still detained in the South American nation.
Edmundo Gonz谩lez, an exiled former diplomat who is widely regarded as the legitimate winner of Venezuela鈥檚 2024 , posted a video on social media hailing his son-in-law鈥檚 freedom and calling for the release of the many other Venezuelans that he said remain unjustly detained.
鈥淚t would be a mistake to reduce this event to a personal story,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are still men and women who remain deprived of their liberty for political reasons, without guarantees, without due process, and in many cases, without truth.”
As of Tuesday, Venezuela鈥檚 leading prisoner rights organization, Foro Penal, had verified the release of 145 people it considers to be political prisoners. At least 775 more remain in detention, according to the organization.
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