The NGO Foro Penal confirmed the release of Yaacob Harary, a 72-year-old Argentine-Israeli citizen detained since October 2024 in El Rodeo I prison, as part of the Venezuelan government's announced releases of political prisoners. This action takes place amid the political transition following Nicolás Maduro's capture by the United States, with Delcy Rodríguez as interim president. Uncertainty remains about other detained Argentines like Nahuel Gallo.
On Monday, the non-governmental organization Foro Penal announced the release of at least 24 political prisoners in Venezuela, including Yaacob Harary, a 72-year-old Argentine-Israeli arrested on October 13, 2024, and held in El Rodeo I penitentiary center in Miranda state, near Caracas. Harary was freed along with other detainees from that facility and the Women's Processing Training Center La Crisálida in Los Teques. The list includes nine women and 15 men, among them two Italian citizens like Alberto Trentini and Mario Burló.
The Chavista government, under interim leadership of Delcy Rodríguez, claimed to have released 116 people in recent days as part of a comprehensive review of cases started by Nicolás Maduro before his capture and transfer to New York for trial on narcoterrorism charges. However, Foro Penal reported only 48 confirmed releases between January 8 and 12, and the opposition, via the Plataforma Unitaria Democrática, criticized the figure as a 'deliberate delay,' noting it represents less than 10% of the estimated 803 political prisoners. The UN demanded the immediate release of all, warning of arbitrary detentions and ongoing repression by armed collectives.
The status of Argentine gendarme Nahuel Gallo, detained in El Rodeo I since December 2024, and Germán Giuliani in Yare II remains unknown. These releases occur amid international tensions, with María Corina Machado requesting papal intervention for the remaining detainees.