Freedom for ALL Political Prisoners (non-official).

Venezuela, nationwide, but mostly in Caracas.

It has been an ongoing movement for many years, but it gained prominence again after January 3^rd 2026.

For many years, especially under Maduro’s regime, his government has weaponized the prison and justice system in order to persecute and prosecute political dissidents. According to Foro Penal, a prominent local NGO that has focused on the reporting and defense of political prisoners in Venezuela, between January 2014 and March 2023, 15,792 people had been arrested due to political reasons.

Following Maduro’s capture on January 3^rd and subsequent pressure from the US government, Venezuela’s interim government initiated the mass release of political prisoners as a “gesture of peace” after years of political division. As of March 13^th, Foro Penal has confirmed the release of 690 political prisoners. Despite these significant developments, numerous concerns have emerged regarding the release process. These include a lack of transparency surrounding the time, date, and location of those being released, an issue that has led hundreds of families to camp outside detention centers while awaiting the possible liberation of their relatives, as well as the implementation of the new Amnesty Law that has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and politicians for its extremely limited scope.

Given the extensive participation of university students in past political movements (2014, 2017, 2019…), political prisoners have become a contentious issue across university campuses. Within this democratic struggle, student governments at the country’s largest universities have emerged as political leaders and key coordinators of the broader student movement. This has enabled the formation of a sophisticated network among universities that frequently collaborate to improve the expansion, visibility, and protection of their democratic actions. This network has played a leading role in demanding the immediate release of ALL political prisoners, the repeal of laws that have facilitated the arrest of political dissidents, the expansion of the scope of the Amnesty Law, and a democratic transition.

Having grown up under the repressive apparatus of the Chavista regime, this generation has viewed this new political opening as an opportunity to once again engage in political activism. Filled with renewed hope, students have returned to the streets to demand the release of all political prisoners. In order to accomplish this goal, they have relied on a combination of techniques including policy work and mass mobilization. As an example of this, in mid-February, students from La Central left the protection offered by their campus and spilled out into nearby streets. They have also organized mass mobilizations along with all three other universities in Caracas on February 12^th (youth day) and March 8^th (women’s day). These protests have relied on peaceful methods and have not been repressed by state police.

Although they haven’t necessarily organized an online action, student governments have relied on Instagram as a platform to directly interact with and challenge current state officials. They have also used it as a way to elevate their image and the visibility of their demands.

They hope that this moment demonstrates that the student movement did not return to life, because it never died. Instead, it reflects a sustained commitment to the democratic values that have long formed the foundation of their universities. Students also feel a sense of responsibility towards the future of the country, and towards their peers and professors, many of whom have themselves suffered the consequences of this repressive apparatus. In this sense, this movement is deeply personal.

Their audience is the government, especially Delcy Rodriguez and Jorge Rodriguez, given their prominent roles in this interim administration. They are demanding change and a complete restructuring of the political system.

This is particularly difficult to say given that there are conflicting narratives from the authorities. Diosdado Cabello has used his TV channel to accuse La Central’s student government of “agitating the environment” and of “reaching out to criminals to infiltrate them in alleged protests.” On the other hand, Delcy Rodriguez, has taken a much more moderate approach by saying that the government “continues to work toward a democratic community” while also calling for political responsibility and accusing other “sectors” for lying and manipulating narratives around political prisoners. She has also criticized students for not wanting to listen and engage in dialogue.

These claims have been promoted by the government through multiple channels. Diosdado has relied primarily on his TV program and Instagram account, while Delcy voiced her accusations during a heated exchange with a group of students while visiting La Central.