Judge María Lourdes Afiuni granted full release, case closed after 16 years

On 7 August 2026 the family of former Venezuelan judge María Lourdes Afiuni announced that she received official notification of full release and the definitive closure of the case that began in December 2009 after then‑president Hugo Chávez ordered her detention for granting bail to businessman Eligio Cedeño. The decision ends a 16‑year ordeal marked by imprisonment, alleged torture, sexual abuse and repeated human‑rights violations, which the family and international observers have described as a symbol of the erosion of judicial independence in Venezuela.

At the same time, Afiuni’s brother Nelson Afiuni reported that medical examinations had detected three tumor lesions in different parts of her body. The family is urging Venezuelan authorities to lift the remaining judicial restrictions that prevent her from obtaining specialized treatment, possibly abroad, and to allow her daughter, who lives in the United States, to accompany her. The case continues to draw attention from human‑rights groups and highlights ongoing concerns about due process and the right to health for political prisoners.