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Venezuela: Son-in-Law of Opposition Leader Urrutia Released from Prison

Published January 22, 2026, 12:18
Venezuela: Son-in-Law of Opposition Leader Urrutia Released from Prison

Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia, has been released from prison after a year in custody. Tudares' wife, Mariana González de Tudares, announced his release via X, describing his detention as “unfair and arbitrary.” Tudares was arrested in January 2025 and charged with terrorism, accusations his family dismisses. The release of Tudares comes at a time when Venezuelan authorities have announced the release of political prisoners, but the process is unfolding slowly. So far, according to the human rights organization Foro Penal, 151 political prisoners have been released, while many families continue to wait. These releases follow the indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a New York court on charges of narco-terrorism, the swearing-in of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president, and the US announcement to refine and sell Venezuelan oil. Despite the releases, several prominent opposition figures, including Juan Pablo Guanipa, Perkins Rocha, Freddy Superlano, and Javier Tarazona, remain imprisoned.