Venezuela: Former Interior Minister Miguel Rodríguez Torres released from prison

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The retired general had served as Venezuela’s interior minister in 2014, but later fell out with President Nicolas Maduro. He was arrested in 2018 accused of participating in a conspiracy plan aimed at the “unity” of the country’s armed forces.

A Venezuelan court on Saturday ordered the release of former Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres after nearly five years in prison, allowing him to travel to Spain, his family said.

The retired general had served as Venezuela’s interior minister in 2014, but later fell out with President Nicolas Maduro. He was arrested in 2018 accused of participating in a conspiracy plan aimed at the “unity” of the country’s armed forces.

“Early on Saturday morning, January 21, he was released after 4 years and 10 months of wrongful imprisonment,” his daughters said in a press release. His relatives said that Rodriguez Torres will travel to Spain, without going into further details.

Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

In 2019, Rodríguez Torres went on a hunger strike to protest his detention in solitary confinement. He himself, however, during his tenure as Minister of the Interior had received strong criticism for the treatment of prisoners. Human rights groups have reported arbitrary detention and beatings of opposition supporters arrested during anti-government protests in 2014.

RES-EMP

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