Venezuelan Authorities Urged to Release Journalist Roland Carreño, Political Prisoners as 141 Migrants Return from U.S.

Human rights organizations and political leaders in Venezuela have intensified calls for the release of detained journalists and political prisoners amid ongoing concerns about repression and human rights violations. Journalist Roland Carreño has been detained for 10 months, while former Caracas councilman Jesús Armas has been held in isolation for six months. Edmundo González, a Venezuelan official, described the country as being in an "atmosphere of terror" and urged the international community to penalize crimes against humanity committed by the Maduro government. María Corina Machado and González have also called on the European Union and global democracies to recognize and condemn these crimes.

The Inter American Press Society (SIP) has demanded the immediate release of three journalists detained for reporting. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan NGO Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón reported that many foreign nationals detained in Venezuela for political reasons have been denied consular access, which it considers deliberate isolation. In related developments, 141 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived back in Venezuela under the government's "Return to the Homeland" program. Families of Venezuelans deported to El Salvador, many held at the maximum-security prison Cecot, have traveled to El Salvador to demand "proof of life" and to advocate for the detainees' rights. The Venezuelan Ombudsman Alfredo Ruiz has called for an end to human rights violations against these deported migrants. Over two days, nearly 280 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. have returned to Venezuela. Additionally, a flight carrying 152 migrants from Honduras landed in Venezuela, and a member of the criminal group Tren de Aragua deported from the U.S. was detained in Maiquetía.