Fear, disease and debt afflict Venezuelans released from prison after post-election arrests

Former detainees in Venezuela, labeled as terrorists by President Maduro, face physical, mental trauma and financial struggles post-release.

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro labeled them as terrorists on national television. They were plucked from pharmacies, apartment buildings and other locations, and thrown in prison for months. Many then endured severe beatings, food deprivation and other forms of torture. Virtually all developed stomach infections and lost weight. Three died.

More than 2,200 people were detained after Venezuela’s July presidential election, when civil unrest broke out over Mr. Maduro’s claim to victory. With dissent firmly squelched, the government has slowly released nearly 1,900 of the mostly poor, politically unaffiliated twenty-somethings.

Tearful reunions with family, some as recently as Friday (January 31, 2025), have brought them an immense sense of relief, but it vanishes with the realization that they are not truly free, neither physically nor mentally.

Now at home, the former detainees, particularly those who participated in post-election demonstrations, must also cope with the disappointment that the votes they defended on the streets did not push Mr. Maduro out of office or produce the change they hoped for.

“You go home, see your loved ones and get drunk on happiness, but 24-48 hours later, reality hits you,” a man who was detained for more than five months told The Associated Press. “What is the reality? My fundamental rights were violated, and I am still at the mercy of the same government.”

The man and relatives of other former detainees narrated to AP how the government’s repressive apparatus wrecked their lives after the July 28 election. Most spoke under the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the government or its network of ruling-party loyalists who through physical force and control of state subsidies quash dissent.

Former detainees suffer insomnia, cannot be among crowds and tremble at the sight of a police officer. They have heart conditions not typical of young adults. They are worse off financially than before the election and cannot find work partly because their IDs were seized during their arrests.