May 27, 2026 | Burma Independent Voice
In a ongoing wave of political prisoner releases following the ouster of former dictator Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela on Tuesday released eight military officers who had been jailed on charges of plotting to overthrow the Maduro regime.
Venezuela has released hundreds of political prisoners since Maduro lost power in January, following a surprise raid by U.S. forces in the capital city of Caracas.
The eight newly released officers were linked to Venezuela’s high-profile “Paratrooper Case,” in which they were accused of inciting a military coup against the Maduro government back in 2017.
General Raúl Baduel, a former ally of Maduro’s predecessor, the socialist revolutionary Hugo Chávez, was also sentenced to prison under the same case. However, Baduel passed away while in custody in 2021.
Video footage shared on social media by the human rights organization Foro Penal showed the military officers, dressed in white T-shirts, shedding tears as they shared emotional embraces with family members upon stepping out of the prison.
General Ramón Lozada, who had been sentenced under the case, left the tribunal in a wheelchair but stood up to warmly greet onlookers while wrapping a Venezuelan national flag around his neck.
Gonzalo Himiob, Vice President of Foro Penal, confirmed the news on social media platform X, stating: “We can confirm that the paratrooper sergeants and General Lozada have been released as they have completed their respective sentences.” He added that the men had spent more than nine years behind bars.
Meanwhile, Andreína and Margareth Baduel, daughters of the late General Raúl Baduel, continue to campaign for the release of their brother, Josnars Baduel. The lawyer was sentenced to prison in 2020 on charges of conspiring against the Maduro government.
According to data compiled by Foro Penal, nearly 800 political prisoners have been released since January. This tally includes 31 members of the armed forces who had been accused of rebellion and treason and were released on conditional bail back in February.
According to government figures, approximately 8,000 individuals have benefited from a historic amnesty law passed in February. The majority of the beneficiaries were not currently jailed but rather had pending legal cases systematically dropped.
Foro Penal reported that as of Monday, 409 political prisoners remain held in detention centers across Venezuela.
