Overview
- Tarazona, 43, left custody on February 1 after being held since July 2021 on accusations of terrorism, treason and incitement to hatred.
- He was confined at Caracas’s El Helicoide, a facility long denounced by rights groups, where he and others reported torture and degrading treatment.
- The release follows the interim government’s pledge to shutter El Helicoide and enact a retroactive general amnesty, steps described as responses to U.S. pressure.
- Foro Penal reports at least 711 political prisoners remain, including 65 foreigners, after waves of releases such as 104 freed on January 25.
- In an AFP interview, Tarazona called for reconciliation grounded in justice, urged reforms to security forces and the judiciary, and vowed to continue his human-rights work with Fundaredes.