Venezuelan Colonel José Lozano Freed After Rebelion Conviction
Colonel José Jesús Lozano Mogollón, a senior officer of the Venezuelan National Armed Forces, was detained on 9 August 2024 after he publicly rejected the 2024 presidential election results. The Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court sentenced him on 8 July 2025 to four years in prison for instigating rebellion. His wife, Francis Rodríguez, appealed the decision, but the appeal was denied, and a request for amnesty was also rejected despite a February law intended for political prisoners.
On the night of 28 July 2026, the nonprofit organization Foro Penal confirmed his release via its vice‑president Gonzalo Himiob’s post on X. The release is part of a broader series of political prisoner liberations reported by the group, which has documented at least 853 releases between January and July 2026 and estimates that 379 individuals remain imprisoned for political reasons (353 men and 26 women). The Venezuelan government continues to deny the existence of politically motivated detentions, asserting that all inmates are held for criminal offenses.
These developments occur amid ongoing domestic criticism of former President Nicolás Maduro’s disputed re‑election and the subsequent political crackdown.
Entities: Edmundo González Urrutia · Foro Penal · José Jesús Lozano Mogollón · Nicolás Maduro · Tribunal Supremo de Justicia
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Foro Penal reports 379 political prisoners in Venezuela, 353 men and 26 women. (NGO report)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Colonel José Jesús Lozano Mogollón was detained on 9 August 2024. (detention after criticizing election results)
- [● 2 SOURCES] He was convicted of instigating rebellion and sentenced to four years in prison on 8 July 2025. (Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court)
- [● 2 SOURCES] He was released on the night of 28 July 2026. (confirmation by Foro Penal)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Gonzalo Himiob, vice‑president of Foro Penal, announced the release on X. (social‑media announcement)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] His request for amnesty was denied after a February law for political prisoners was passed. (government decision)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Between January and July 2026, Foro Penal documented at least 853 political prisoner releases. (NGO report)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court issued the four‑year sentence. (court ruling)