MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela frees opposition leader’s son-in-law as Caracas signals thaw with Washington

Mariana González and Rafael Tudares (center), at the Swiss Embassy residence in Caracas.

Venezuelan authorities on Thursday released Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of opposition figure Edmundo González Urrutia, in one of the most politically charged prisoner releases since Nicolás Maduro’s ouster and the installation of an interim administration led by Delcy Rodríguez, according to agency reporting.

Tudares’ wife, Mariana González, said he returned home after “380 days of an unjust arbitrary detention,” alleging he endured “enforced disappearance” during his imprisonment. Family accounts say the lawyer — not known as a political activist — was detained in January 2025 while taking his children to school and later faced a 30-year sentence on “terrorism” charges.

González Urrutia, now in exile in Spain and described by parts of Venezuela’s opposition as the rightful winner of the 2024 presidential election, welcomed the release but framed it as only one case among many. In a public message, he argued that numerous detainees remain behind bars “for political reasons,” without due process, and that their continued detention constitutes an ongoing rights violation.

The release comes amid a rapid sequence of moves aimed at stabilizing the economy and rebuilding ties with the United States. An AFP report published by Gulf News said Venezuelan lawmakers gave initial approval to a bill that would open the oil sector to private investors, rolling back restrictions tightened during the Chávez era — a reform presented as central to President Donald Trump’s demands and to attracting hard currency and investment.

Diplomatic signaling has moved just as quickly. Reuters reported that the White House has been exploring the re-establishment of formal diplomatic relations with Caracas, including the possibility of reopening embassies, following years of severed ties. Separately, Reuters said “multiple Americans” detained in Venezuela were released, an episode Washington linked to direct engagement with the interim authorities.

Tudares’ case had become emblematic in opposition circles because of its familial link to González Urrutia and because relatives said he was swept into the post-election crackdown. In December, AP reported that families and activists described a climate of repression following the disputed 2024 vote, including detentions and prosecutions that critics said lacked basic judicial safeguards.

Even so, Thursday’s release appears to come with limits. Recent releases in Venezuela have often been granted under conditional or procedural benefits rather than full exoneration — a distinction that keeps legal pressure on former detainees and leaves broader questions about political imprisonment unresolved.

For the opposition, the focus now shifts to whether the government will extend releases beyond high-profile names and whether any legal pathways emerge for detainees to regain full freedom — not just leave prison.