Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa released after eight months in prison
Guanipa, a close ally of opposition figure María Corina Machado, was freed Sunday as part of a broader prisoner release process announced in January.
February 8, 2026
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa was released Sunday after more than eight months in detention, his family confirmed in a statement.
Guanipa, 61, a prominent ally of opposition figure María Corina Machado, had been held at a detention facility in Caracas since his arrest in late May 2025. He was accused by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello of participating in an alleged "terrorist group" plotting to boycott legislative elections scheduled for that month.
"Today, we are being released," Guanipa said in a video posted on social media. "Much to discuss about the present and future of Venezuela, always with the truth at the forefront."
His son Ramón Guanipa announced the release on X, stating: "I announce that my father, Juan Pablo Guanipa, was freed minutes ago. After more than eight months of unjust imprisonment and more than a year and a half separated, our entire family will be able to embrace again soon."
Guanipa described spending ten months in hiding before his detention. "Ten months in hiding and almost nine months detained here," he said after his release.
His brother Tomás had previously rejected the accusations against him, characterizing the arrest as a crackdown on dissent. "Thinking differently cannot be criminalized in Venezuela, and today, Juan Pablo Guanipa is a prisoner of conscience of this regime," Tomás Guanipa said following the arrest.
Sunday's release was part of a broader wave of prisoner liberations. Rights group Foro Penal reported that 11 political prisoners were freed on Sunday, including lawyer Perkins Rocha, the legal coordinator of Venezuela's opposition. The organization has verified 383 liberations of political prisoners since the government announced a new series of releases on January 8.