GENEVA: Hundreds of Venezuelans detained for political reasons have been released since January, but the repressive structures that imprisoned them remain intact, the United Nations' independent investigative panel on Venezuela said on Thursday.

The findings were presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 18 September, during an interactive dialogue on the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela. The Venezuela UN mission said a significant decline in long-term detentions and enforced disappearances followed the United States military attack of 3 January 2026 and the apprehension of then-President Nicolas Maduro. In the months that followed, authorities freed hundreds of people detained for political reasons and allowed somewhat greater space for protests, public gatherings and civil society participation.

According to the mission's report, these changes have not been accompanied by the institutional reforms required for a meaningful and sustained improvement. Numerous laws used to criminalize dissent remain in force, and the country's intelligence services and security forces retain essentially the same structures, policies and practices.

Short-term arrests replace long-term detentions

Civil society organizations recorded at least 214 arbitrary detentions for political reasons between 1 September 2025 and 29 July 2026, the mission reported. Ninety-four percent of those arrests happened before the end of 2025.

After 3 January, investigators identified a recurring pattern of short-term arbitrary arrests aimed at intimidating opposition activists, journalists and other civil society actors. Although the releases significantly reduced the number of political prisoners, non-governmental organizations estimate between 379 and 500 people remain in detention.

The mission said there is no official, transparent and verifiable record of who has been released, where those still detained are being held, or what their legal status is.

Colectivos remain armed and tied to the state

The report contains the mission's most detailed analysis to date of the pro-government civilian armed groups known as colectivos, and their links to the state. It concluded the groups are a central component of the state's repressive apparatus and of a wider system of local governance and social control.

Investigators found evidence of long-standing ties between the groups and the government, including political backing, direct and indirect financing, logistical and material support, operational coordination and institutional protection. The mission said it had reasonable grounds to believe the government regularly supplied colectivos with firearms, ammunition, motorcycles, mobile phones and radio equipment.

Colectivos have performed surveillance and intelligence work, identified people sought by security forces, and taken part in violent crackdowns on demonstrations and the selective repression of real or perceived government opponents, the report said. Their control over community councils, public services and social programs has also let them reward political loyalty and punish criticism.

Where colectivos exercise elements of public authority under Venezuelan law, or act on the instructions or under the direction or control of state organs, the mission determined their conduct is attributable to the state. Even where it is not, the report said, the government failed in its duty to prevent, investigate, punish and provide reparation for abuses committed by these groups. No steps have been taken to disarm or dismantle them.

Torture and deaths in custody continue

The mission investigated 64 new cases of torture after 3 January alone, indicating that these practices remain widespread. At the maximum-security prison El Rodeo I, investigators documented forced intubation and prolonged confinement in a sealed underground cistern known as the "time machine." At Fuerte Guaicaipuro, a military facility, detainees were confined in pit-like cells dug below ground level, exposed to cold, deprived of food and subjected to other degrading practices.

Hundreds of people remain exposed to detention conditions the mission described as appalling, with severely restricted access to safe drinking water, adequate food, medicines and health care. The mission linked several deaths in custody of people detained for political reasons to lack of adequate medical attention and ill-treatment.

According to the mission, one of those cases was Victor Quero Navas, a street vendor who died in custody while subjected to enforced disappearance. His mother, Carmen Teresa Navas, was informed of his fate more than a year after his detention and ten months after he had died. She passed away ten days later.

What the mission wants now

Sofia Macher, the mission's chair, said the reduction in some of the harshest forms of repression was significant, but that it does not yet amount to a transformation of the system that made them possible. She warned that without the dismantling of repressive structures, guaranteed judicial independence, and investigation and sanction of those responsible, any opening would remain fragile and easy to reverse.

Maria Eloisa Quintero, one of the mission's experts, called on Venezuelan authorities to take decisive steps toward accountability and adopt a victim-centered transitional justice framework. She said Venezuela should reverse its withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and cooperate fully with the court and other international human rights mechanisms.

Alex Neve, another expert, said the United States and other influential actors must intensify efforts to press for real human rights change in Venezuela, while ensuring their policies and actions do not contribute to human rights violations or facilitate international crimes. He added that states should continue to provide international protection to Venezuelans outside the country.

At least 19 officials previously identified by the mission for involvement in gross violations remain in, or have been reassigned to, key positions. Journalists and other civil society actors continue to be obstructed in their daily work. The Venezuela UN mission's report was presented to the Human Rights Council during its 63rd regular session, which runs in Geneva from 7 September to 7 October. The council extended the mission's mandate in 2024 to run until October 2026. Related reading: UN rights chief warns human rights treaty bodies face collapse.