Families of Venezuelan prisoners began a hunger strike on Saturday, pressing for the release of dissidents held at a detention center in Caracas known as Zona 7. The move followed continued complaints from relatives that releases at the facility have lagged behind other prisons in the country as Venezuela’s political leadership and opposition spar over an amnesty law for those jailed for political reasons.
According to a message posted on Instagram by the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners, 10 people are staging the hunger strike. The group said it would continue until the government frees all 33 political prisoners that the committee estimates are still being held at Zona 7.
Earlier on Saturday, 17 prisoners were released from Zona 7 and held tearful reunions with their families, the Associated Press reported. The AP said the hunger strike demand reflects ongoing frustration that while hundreds of dissidents have been released from other prisons in Venezuela in recent weeks, liberations at Zona 7 have been scarce.
Relatives of dissidents held at the facility have been camped outside since Jan. 8, after Venezuelan officials announced there would be significant prisoner releases aimed at promoting national reconciliation. The announcement came in the backdrop of a U.S. raid in which President Nicolas Maduro was captured with his wife, according to the report.
Yessy Orozco, the daughter of a former legislator arrested in November, said, “We demand that National Assembly president Jorge Rodriguez keep his word and release all of the political prisoners.” Orozco’s comments underscored the families’ focus on deadlines they associate with official promises of releases.
The hunger strike also intersects with Venezuela’s legislative debate over a broader amnesty measure. The National Assembly, still controlled by the ruling party, 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.
In the AP account, lawmakers approved portions of the measure but ultimately suspended the session to resolve sticking points, including whether people who left the country to avoid detention can be granted amnesty. The debate was expected to resume next week.
The AP said the parliamentary debate marked a sharp turn for Venezuela, where authorities have for decades denied the country has any political prisoners. The question of political detainees—and whether amnesty will cover them—has also become part of a broader diplomatic push, with U.S. officials under President Donald Trump easing sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry while both governments meet to discuss ways to jump-start production.
Venezuela’s exiled opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, addressed the hunger strike demand indirectly in remarks delivered via video conference to policy analysts who had attended the Munich Security Conference. Machado, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December, said a transition to democracy would be “orderly” and “peaceful,” adding that it would be better “for not only for Venezuelans but also for the region and the United States,” according to the AP report.
Machado did not provide a date for new elections, saying it would depend on “political conditions.” The report said Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have also expressed support for new elections in Venezuela but have not laid out a time frame. Machado also rejected suggestions by some analysts that chaos would break out if the current government is replaced, saying, “We have a civil society that is cohesive, united, with no religious, racial or regional factions, and we have the support of the majority of the armed forces.”