Talks between government and opposition mark a new chapter for Venezuela

Visibility for political prisonersAs the meeting wound to a close in Caracas, opposition members took to the capital's streets to push for a timetable for new elections and the release of political prisoners.Separately, some former prisoners met with Figuera, the opposition's representative, to advocate for dissidents who remain in detention.Americo de Grazia, a former member of the 2015 National Assembly, was among them.De Grazia was detained in August 2024 and spent more than a year in Caracas’s El Helicoide prison before being released last year. He said he never had access to his case file.But he welcomed Wednesday's announcement that the government would overhaul the Supreme Tribunal of Justice."There is no better place to start than at the top, with the highest judicial body, in order to correct not only the situation of today's political prisoners but also address deeper problems," he told Al Jazeera.Americo de Grazia attends a political prisoners' protest during the talks between Venezuela's government and its opposition [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]But De Grazia remains sceptical about the intentions of those involved. He believes the negotiations will ultimately advance the agendas of the US and the Rodriguez government."It's not just the Rodriguez family's desire to stay in power," he said. "It's also the United States' intention to turn Venezuela into a colony. And that's something we Venezuelans need to keep in mind."Even so, he believes the talks offer an opportunity Venezuela cannot afford to ignore."This is an opportunity for Venezuela to build a path that can get us out of the labyrinth we are trapped in, in a peaceful, democratic, constitutional and electoral way."Other former political prisoners called for a greater focus on the plight of those behind bars.Aranza Hernandez attends a protest in Caracas that called on the negotiations to take into account Venezuela's political prisoners [Catherine Ellis/Al Jazeera]Aranza Hernandez was only 19 when she was detained in November 2025 and accused of terrorism over an alleged bomb plot in Caracas. Other members of her family, including her 16-year-old sister, were also arrested.But Hernandez and her family deny involvement in any plot. Instead, human rights groups like Amnesty International say the family was arrested as an act of retaliation.Hernandez's brother was a military officer who fled Venezuela after being accused of involvement in an antigovernment uprising in 2019, and many advocates suspect his actions led to a crackdown on his family.While Hernandez was released in June, her cousin and uncle remain in prison. The human rights group Foro Penal estimates that at least 391 people continue to be held as political prisoners in Venezuela."There is no law here, there are no rights here, there is nothing. And that's what we're demanding. The focus should be the political prisoners – and the freedom of an entire country," Hernandez said at a protest in Caracas last Friday.She and her fellow demonstrators called for the release of political prisoners — and for the issue to be on the agenda during the negotiations.