Venezuela Frees Three Officers Imprisoned 23 Years — Longest-Held Political Prisoners in Latin America

Venezuela released three former Caracas Metropolitan Police officers — Erasmo Bolívar, Héctor Rovaín, and Luis Molina — on or around May 24, 2026 after more than 23 years of continuous imprisonment, making them among the longest-held political prisoners in Latin American history. The three officers had been detained since 2002–2003 in connection with the Llaguno Overpass shooting incident during the April 2002 coup attempt against Hugo Chávez. Their release formed part of the 300-person prisoner batch Acting President Delcy Rodríguez's government previewed on May 19. Human rights organization Foro Penal confirmed the individual releases while estimating that more than 1,000 people it classifies as political prisoners remained detained across Venezuela as of late May 2026. Foro Penal continued to warn that many previously released detainees face mandatory monthly security force check-ins and public speech restrictions — conditions the organization characterizes as supervised restriction rather than genuine freedom. The government maintains its Amnesty Law has benefited over 8,600 individuals; Foro Penal has verified only approximately 768 actual releases since January 8, 2026.