Caracas, Venezuela — A group of relatives of political prisoners had planned to march on September 11 to Miraflores Palace, the presidential headquarters in Caracas, to demand the release of prisoners detained for ideological reasons.
Instead, they were intercepted on the street by security forces, including the National Guard and the Bolivarian National Police, who blocked the path to the offices of interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
After speaking with officials, a small delegation from the protest was allowed to proceed to Miraflores, where instead of delivering a message to the president, they delivered a document with their demands to the building’s receptionist.
Hiowanka Ávila, whose brother Henryberth Rivas Ávila is currently detained at the El Rodeo I prison in the state of Miranda, said that the visit to the presidential palace was a long journey that ended in deception.
“We had been told that a commission would meet with us, but they spoke to us from behind a glass partition for just a few minutes,” she told Latin America Reports in a neighborhood close to the Miraflores Palace.
She sees incidents like this as proof that the government isn’t interested in freeing the nearly 350 political prisoners who remain behind bars despite the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.
“There is no political will. They refuse to release people with serious health conditions and refuse to provide medical care to those who remain incarcerated. There are people who have died while in state custody,” she said.
She also alleged that many detainees have not received fair trials and have been victims of human rights abuses.
For her part, Andreína Baduel, a relative of Josnars Baduel — who is also detained at Rodeo I on charges of conspiracy against the government — said her family feels deceived because they had been told they would be able to speak with an official from the presidential headquarters and instead were greeted by a receptionist. (Latin America Reports was unable to verify whether the government had promised to meet with the families).
“This reaffirms our commitment and renews our faith in the knowledge that the solution does not lie with those in power, but with the victims themselves,” said Baduel. “We must denounce and make it clear that the only way to bring about political change in the country is through the complete dismantling of a criminal structure that only represses and violates human rights.”
Baduel explained that despite the heavy military presence in the center of the Venezuelan capital due to the planned protest, the protestors will continue to take to the streets to demand the release of all political prisoners.
“God is on our side, and that is why in the coming days we will announce a new agenda to the country,” she said.
Like other family members, Baduel argued that the issue of Venezuela’s political prisoners should not be sidelined during talks between the Rodríguez government and the opposition, which entered their second round this week.
“It is a matter of honor for the country that, if we truly want to set the nation’s destiny on a new course, political prisoners must be released, and the message is clear: we will not grow weary; we will not give up.”
Following the capture of Maduro in an operation led by the United States, the government announced a power transition process that included the release of political prisoners.
While the government said it has released 1,046 political prisoners since then, civil society groups like Foro Penal report 328 people still detained, while Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón counts 454.
Featured image: Protestors in Caracas on September 11, 2026 demanding the Venezuelan government release political prisoners still in detention.
Image credit: Julio Blanca
Facts Only
* A group of relatives planned a march on September 11 to Miraflores Palace.
* Security forces, including the National Guard and Bolivarian National Police, intercepted the protest route.
* The path to the offices of interim President Delcy Rodríguez was blocked.
* A delegation delivered demands to a receptionist at Miraflores instead of meeting the president.
* Hiowanka Ávila stated they were told a commission would meet them but only spoke for a few minutes behind glass.
* Ávila noted the lack of will to release political prisoners and provide medical care.
* She alleged that detainees have not received fair trials and are victims of human rights abuses.
* Andreína Baduel reported feeling deceived regarding meeting officials at the presidential headquarters.
* Civil society groups report 328 detainees, while Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón counts 454.
* The government announced a power transition including the release of 1,046 political prisoners since Maduro's capture.
Executive Summary
Relatives of political prisoners attempted to protest at Miraflores Palace on September 11 to demand the release of those detained for ideological reasons. The planned march was intercepted by security forces, including the National Guard and the Bolivarian National Police, who blocked access to the offices of interim President Delcy Rodríguez. A small delegation was allowed to deliver a document with their demands to the building’s receptionist instead of addressing the president directly.
Hiowanka Ávila reported that the visit resulted in deception, noting they were told a commission would meet them but only spoke briefly from behind a glass partition. She views this as evidence of the government's lack of will to release political prisoners and provide medical care to those incarcerated. Another relative, Andreína Baduel, expressed feeling deceived as her family was expecting to speak with an official but instead met a receptionist.
The protestors maintain that the solution requires dismantling the criminal structure that violates human rights, rather than relying on those in power. Despite the heavy military presence, protestors intend to continue demonstrations to demand releases and argue that political prisoners must be released for the country's destiny to change. The government claims to have released 1,046 political prisoners since the capture of Maduro, while civil society groups report significantly higher detention numbers.
Full Take
The narrative demonstrates a systemic gap between official statements regarding political prisoner releases and the lived experience of detainees and their families. The interception of a planned protest, substituting direct engagement with procedural gestures, suggests a deliberate management of public space intended to neutralize political pressure rather than facilitate dialogue. The consistent framing by family members—moving from disappointment over access (receptionist vs. official) to systemic accusations (lack of medical care, unfair trials)—establishes a pattern where perceived governmental inaction is translated into concrete failures of human rights and state responsibility.
The juxtaposition of the government's claim of releasing 1,046 prisoners against civil society estimates of ongoing detention highlights a conflict in accountability structures. The protestors’ assertion that change requires dismantling criminal structures suggests an underlying assumption that political concession is secondary to fundamental legal and humanitarian mandates. Furthermore, the insistence on continuing mobilization despite heavy security presence indicates a sustained commitment to agency; this resistance is not merely an emotional appeal but a strategic refusal to accept negotiated settlements that ignore historical grievances.
The pattern suggests a struggle over epistemology: whether political reality can be addressed through formal channels or must be achieved through sustained, disruptive assertion of collective will. The system seeks to manage the visible narrative while attempting to suppress the underlying demands for structural change. What is missing is an analysis of how the disparity between public figures released and those still detained functions as a tool to maintain compliance among the population, rather than purely an administrative outcome.
What steps must be taken to establish reliable metrics for tracking actual prisoner releases versus publicized figures? How does institutional inertia actively shape the perception of political will for those outside formal legal structures? Does sustained non-violent action effectively reorient the calculus of state actors when faced with international scrutiny?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads like an aggregation of human-sourced testimony framed around a specific political event, suggesting it is rooted in direct reporting rather than pure synthetic generation.