Venezuelan Political Prisoners In Operation Gideon Have Been Moved Over! What Becomes of Them?
"In the Venezuelan judicial process, if any, up is down and down is up."
Over the weekend, Venezuelan political prisoners affiliated with several military operations to dispose of the current dictator Nicolás Maduro were transported to a high-level detention facility, according to internal sources familiar with the matter.
The judicial process in Venezuela is arbitrary, just like the arrests warranted by a nearly two-decade systematic regime–set up by the design of oppression and inhumane practices of torture. The individuals were transported from El Dorado to Yare III, many internal sources have claimed it to be a much harsher penitentiary facility.
What happens now?
“At this point, the risks are many, we have to start from ground zero entering the courts,” said an official at Foro Penal, a watchdog organization in Venezuela. Essentially, Foro Penal, takes on cases related to the forced disappearances of individuals, in the case of political prisoners, it extends to their loved ones as well.
In the Venezuelan judicial process, if any, up is down, and down is up.
After the crackdown arrest of roughly 2,000 who took to the streets post the fraudulent Venezuelan presidential election held on July 28, the Maduro regime took it a step further.
After three months of holding the so-called “political prisoners,” in a detention facility called Tocorón, a facility which serves as the operating center for the infamous criminal gang El Tren De Agua, according to news outlets such as the BBC and Reuters, the regime decided to release a few prisoners. The detention center is known for its hotel-like amenities such as a pool, nightclub, and mini zoo.
At least 131 political prisoners were released, according to international media outlets and Foro Penal, but political analysts view the release of prisoners as a form of political tactics, gaining international favor with the Trump administration.
The U.S. Department of State has kept its stance that Venezuela is high-risk zone, and travel to the Latin American country is at high risk due to “wrongful detentions, terrorism, kidnapping, the arbitrary enforcement of local laws, crime, civil unrest, and poor health infrastructure.”
Based on the organization’s publicly available database, the total number of arrests of political prisoners is around 17,900 since 2014, internal sources contend that the number is much higher and is not disclosed by the regime.
According to the internal source, next week attorneys on behalf of the watchdog group will proceed with appealing the cases of members who participated in the assassination plot against Maduro back in 2020, known as Operation Gideon.
At this current state, according to internal sources who have not been disclosed due to fear of retaliation efforts by the regime, have claimed the judicial appellate cases for those who served in this particular operation are on standby.
As previously reported, the operation back in 2020 centered on a ploy of military scale, led by two U.S. Green Beret veterans and nearly 60 Venezuelans who planned to launch both air and ground assaults on Maduro’s mansion, according to the Associated Press, and an independent journalist has verified these claims.
When the Maduro regime shamelessly, claimed they won the recent presidential election results on July 28 of this year, they undermined the democratic process and used the backing of the Venezuelan Supreme Court to support their claims.
“We are fighting for the lives of our loved ones, for all those who have been taken from us, and we will take this fight to the end,” said Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina, who held an exclusive meeting on Saturday, with members of the international community, activists, and journalists alike.
This comes at the heel of Venezuelan authorities prompting an investigation against Mrs.Corina on the alleged crimes for “conspiracy with foreign countries and association to commit a crime.”
On the call, President-elect Edmundo Gonzalez, who declared himself the rightful winner of the nation’s controversial elections, affirmed his right to claim the presidency, through the transfer of power coming up on Jan.10, 2025.
“We cannot lose hope now, and it is up to us to fight!” he said on a Zoom call of over 700 people. Mr. Gonzalez claimed he would be returning back to Venezuela, but did not specify when, as he was forced into exile for two months in Spain.
The U.S. and 10 other Latin American states reject the regime’s claim of winning over the presidency.
The National Electoral Council is one of the five branches of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which claimed Maduro had received 6.4 million votes against Gonzalez with 5.3 million votes on his side.
An independent analysis conducted by the Associated Press, determined opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez “received 6.89 million votes, nearly half a million more than the government says Maduro won with. The tabulations also show Maduro received 3.13 million votes from the tally sheets released.”
On X, where Maduro has publicly challenged Elon Musk after the billionaire repeatedly attacked the president’s “massive election fraud,” stating Maduro is a “dictator,” on the social media platform, the regime lashed out.
Musk took to X, stating “I’m coming for you Maduro!’ and “I will carry you to Gitmo on a donkey!” Maduro responded, “Elon Musk! You are desperate. You went off the rails. Control yourself or you will fail,” in a video posted on YouTube.
On the side of the U.S., the Biden administration supported the claims of both Brazil and Colombia for new elections in Venezuela to proceed, a scenario Maduro desperately wants to get rid of, at all costs necessary.
The U.S. government imposed sanctions on an additional 21 allies of President Nicolás Maduro, accusing them on of perpetrating some of the repression with which officials in Venezuela responded to July’s disputed presidential election, according to reporting provided by the Associated Press.
“The picture they want to paint to the world is Venezuela is a ‘free country’,” said Luis Moros, a Venezuela political scientist and a recent alumnus of Florida International University, who has majored in political science and criminal justice. “They may be free now (political prisoners), but they do not know what is going to happen tomorrow.”