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A hunger strike that started on Saturday is now the last effort of relatives of Venezuelan prisoners to demand the freedom of their loved ones. Politicians in the country are still debating an amnesty law for dissidents imprisoned under President Nicolas Maduro’s rule.
The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners announced that the hunger strike is being staged by 10 people and would last until the government frees all 33 political prisoners that are held at a prison known as Zona 7, in a message posted on Instagram.
Earlier on Saturday, 17 prisoners were released from the Zona 7 detention centre in Caracas and held tearful reunions with their families.
Relatives of those dissidents have been sleeping outside the facility since January 8, when Venezuelan officials announced there would be significant prisoner releases aimed at promoting national reconciliation following the US raid to capture Maduro and his wife.
In fact, hundreds of dissidents have been released from other prisons in Venezuela in recent weeks, but liberations at Zona 7 have been scarce. “We demand that National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez keep his word and release all of the political prisoners,” said Yessy Orozco, the daughter of a former legislator who was arrested in November.
The National Assembly, which is still controlled by the authoritarian ruling party, on Thursday debated a measure that could free hundreds of opposition members, activists and human rights defenders who have been detained for months or years for political reasons. The debate in itself was an important milestone for Venezuela, where authorities have for decades denied that the country has any political prisoners.
The debate is expected to resume next week. Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, said on Saturday that she will continue to push for new elections in the country as part of a transition to democracy.
Venezuela’s authoritarian government has been under pressure from Washington to make political reforms, as the Trump administration eases sanctions on the nation’s oil industry. Recently, officials from both nations met to discuss ways to jump-start oil production.
