{
  "id": 13333211,
  "title": "Venezuela Political Prisoners Dip to 322, 31 Foreigners",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/10/venezuela-political-prisoners-dip-to-322-31-foreigners",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-10T05:03:16.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/venezuela-political-prisoners-foro-penal-322-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Venezuela's political prisoner population has decreased to 322, according to Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights group. This count, dated October 5, 2026, includes 31 foreign nationals. The number is lower than the previous week and even 22 fewer than in mid-September. Foro Penal, led by director-president Alfredo Romero, is a network of Venezuelan lawyers and volunteers that specifically focuses on defending those jailed for political reasons. The group's website updates its count of political prisoners daily.\n\nAs of the latest tally, there are 182 men and 14 women, all adults, among the political prisoners in Venezuela. Of these 322, 182 are civilians and 140 are military personnel. Of the 322 prisoners, 152 have been convicted, while the remaining 170 are still detained without a conviction. Foro Penal also notes that they are unaware of the location of one of the political prisoners.\n\nThe Venezuelan news site Caraota Digital reported the count on October 9, citing a bulletin issued by Foro Penal on the same day. Since the previous count on September 28, Foro Penal has recorded five releases, three new cases, and no new arrests. The prisoner count dropped from 344 on September 14. Since June, the number of political prisoners has steadily decreased.\n\nOn June 1, 2026, Foro Penal recorded 404 political prisoners, including 179 from the military. Since 2014, the group has documented 19,253 political arrests. In 2026 alone, Foro Penal reports 1,104 releases and 32 new political detentions.\n\nThe group lists 31 foreign nationals among the political prisoners in Venezuela, one less than the 32 counted on September 28. However, they do not specify the countries of origin for these foreign detainees. On October 7 and 8, Foro Penal highlighted foreign cases taken up by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), a Washington-based rights body of the Organization of American States. The IACHR granted precautionary measures to two jailed Colombians and an Italian-Venezuelan couple held in Venezuela. They requested formal protection from Venezuela, which did not respond.",
  "summary": "Foro Penal counts 322 political prisoners in Venezuela as of 5 October, down from 324 on 28 September, and 31 of them hold a foreign nationality. The post Venezuela Political Prisoners Dip to 322, 31 Foreigners appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}