Tras el anuncio del régimen chavista sobre la excarcelación de varios presos políticos, un número sin precedentes de familias venezolanas acudió a la ONG Foro Penal para registrar a sus parientes como presos de conciencia.

La organización recibió en las últimas horas múltiples denuncias de personas que aseguran que sus familiares continúan privados de libertad o fueron liberados bajo condiciones restrictivas, pese a no figurar en las listas oficiales difundidas por el chavismo.

La organización, que lleva años documentando la situación en Venezuela, confirmó que ha recibido solicitudes de al menos 300 familias en los últimos días, a raíz de la promesa de liberar a un “número importante” de prisioneros tras la captura del dictador Nicolás Maduro.

“Las familias antes no denunciaban por miedo, pero ahora lo están haciendo porque, de alguna manera, sienten que existe esta posibilidad de que sus familias sean liberadas y lo ven como una esperanza o una oportunidad”, explicó Alfredo Romero, director de Foro Penal.

El clima de incertidumbre y la falta de información oficial han motivado a muchos a buscar ayuda, con la esperanza de que la presión pública acelere la excarcelación de sus seres queridos.

El caso de Edison Torres ilustra la situación crítica de muchos detenidos. Torres, ex policía de 51 años, murió bajo custodia del régimen chavista justo cuando su familia esperaba su liberación. Su hermana, Emelyn Torres, relató entre lágrimas cómo el ataúd cubierto con la bandera venezolana llegó al pequeño pueblo rural donde sería enterrado.

“La libertad llegó demasiado tarde”, lamentó la familia, que se sumó a decenas de personas para rendirle homenaje y reclamar justicia.

La muerte de Torres no es un hecho aislado. Según líderes opositores y organizaciones de derechos humanos, al menos ocho presos políticos han fallecido bajo custodia estatal desde las elecciones de julio de 2024. La reciente oleada de excarcelaciones, anunciada por el titular de la Asamblea Nacional, el chavista Jorge Rodríguez, ha generado expectativas pero también frustración, ya que la mayoría de las liberaciones no han sido verificadas de manera independiente.

El Foro Penal informó que sólo 55 excarcelaciones han podido ser confirmadas hasta este martes, mientras el régimen sostiene que el número supera las 100, aunque no ha publicado listas ni identificado a los beneficiados.

“Seguimos validando información y verificando que en efecto se trate de presos políticos”, detalló Romero, al tiempo que subrayó que la mayoría de los casos reportados en los últimos días involucran a personas que alguna vez trabajaron en el ejército venezolano.

El proceso de liberación ha estado marcado por la falta de transparencia y la ausencia de comunicación oficial tanto a los detenidos como a sus familias.

“Cientos de ellos permanecen en vigilia acampados frente a los centros de reclusión, gastando el dinero que no tienen y poniendo su propia salud en riesgo”, denunció la líder opositora de Venezuela, María Corina Machado, en un comunicado conjunto con el presidente electo, Edmundo González Urrutia.

Ambos insistieron en que “no puede haber transición con presos políticos, ni puede haber libertad en Venezuela mientras haya un solo perseguido por razones políticas”.

Entre los excarcelados recientemente figuran figuras destacadas como la abogada de derechos humanos Rocío San Miguel, el líder político Biagio Pilieri y el ex candidato presidencial Enrique Márquez.

Sin embargo, casos como el del empresario italiano Marco Burlò, quien tras ser liberado describió su detención como “un secuestro puro”, muestran que la incomunicación y el aislamiento siguen siendo la norma para muchos detenidos.

“Estuve sin poder hablar con mis hijos, sin derecho a defensa, sin poder hablar con el abogado y completamente aislado”, afirmó Burlò tras regresar a Italia.

Los líderes opositores y las ONG han reiterado que la liberación debe ser “inmediata, completa, incondicional y verificable”, y que la vida y salud de cientos de personas sigue en juego.

Mientras tanto, el flujo de familias que denuncian la situación de sus parientes ante Foro Penal refleja tanto el miedo acumulado como la renovada esperanza de que la presión internacional y la visibilidad pública puedan finalmente abrir la puerta a la justicia y la libertad en Venezuela.

(Con información de The Associated Press)

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., pushed back on the idea that the U.S. would intervene militarily in Greenland, saying he does not anticipate war or U.S. troops being deployed there.

Johnson told The Hill there is no declaration of war pending for Greenland and said he does not expect any boots on the ground.

«We’ve been very clear. I mean, the Article 1 branch is clear. There’s no declaration of war pending for Greenland,» Johnson said. «It’s just not a thing. I don’t anticipate any boots on the ground anywhere, anytime soon.»

Johnson echoed the foreign policy objectives of President Trump, noting the administration views Greenland as strategically important to U.S. interests.

STEPHEN MILLER DISMISSES THE IDEA DENMARK WOULD FIGHT FOR GREENLAND, CLAIMS IT SHOULD BE PART OF THE US

«Look, there are negotiations. There is interest in Greenland. For U.S. interests, America’s first interest,» Johnson said.

«It has to do with national security and critical minerals and many other reasons. And we’ve long acknowledged that,» he added.

Trump has made acquiring Greenland a key strategic and national security objective, warning last week that if the United States does not acquire the territory, superpowers Russia or China could move in.

He said Sunday the U.S. must acquire Greenland — not lease it — arguing the Arctic territory lacks adequate defenses and warning that Russia or China would move in if Washington does not act, a move he said is critical to U.S. and NATO security.

Greenland has rejected Trump’s repeated advances, and on Tuesday the island’s prime minister said the country would prefer to remain part of Denmark rather than become a U.S. territory.

«We face a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the U.S. and Denmark here and now then we choose Denmark,» Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said while appearing alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at a joint press conference in Copenhagen.

TRUMP ADMIN REPORTEDLY CONSIDERS PAYING EACH GREENLAND RESIDENT UP TO $100K AMID US TAKEOVER TALKS

Trump has made acquiring Greenland a key strategic and national security objective, warning last week that if the United States does not acquire the territory, superpowers Russia or China could move in. (Joe Raedle/Getty)

«We stand united in the Kingdom of Denmark.»

Johnson’s comments come as bipartisan lawmakers move to restrict any unauthorized U.S. military action against NATO allies amid growing debate over Trump’s remarks about Greenland.

Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., is leading legislation that would block funding for military action taken without congressional approval, arguing the effort is aimed at preventing U.S. intervention against allied nations.

«This isn’t just about Greenland. This is about our security,» Keating said.

The push follows Trump’s statement Friday that the U.S. would act on Greenland «whether they like it or not,» raising alarm among European leaders over a potential violation of NATO’s collective defense commitments.

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Danish troops practice looking for potential threats during a military drill in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, on Sept. 17, 2025.  (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)

The developments also come as Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, are expected to meet Wednesday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at the White House, according to Reuters.

Fox News’ Greg Norman and Landon Mion, as well as Reuters contributed to this report.

Iranian security forces escalated from pellet guns to live ammunition during protests, sharply increasing casualties, a doctor who treated wounded demonstrators told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).

Speaking after fleeing the country, the doctor told CHRI the use of live fire increased the death toll days after protests erupted Dec. 28.

«Law enforcement forces were firing pellet shotguns that scatter pellets. During those days, I received five or six calls per day about people who had been hit by two pellets in the back or pellets to the head or scalp,» the doctor claimed.

The doctor said he noticed the situation shifted on Jan. 8, when authorities imposed internet blackouts and cut off communication nationwide.

NETANYAHU AND RUBIO DISCUSS US MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN AMID ONGOING NATIONWIDE PROTESTS: REPORT

«From about 8:10 to 8:20 pm, the sound of bullets, gunfire, screams, and sporadic explosions could be heard. I was called to the hospital. When I arrived, I saw that the nature of the injuries and the number of gunshot wounds had changed completely,» the doctor said of the days around the blackout.

«The situation was totally different. Shots from close range, injuries leading to death.»

Human rights groups say thousands have been killed as security forces moved to suppress the demonstrations, with some estimates placing the death toll above 3,000, Fox News’ chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported Tuesday.

The protests were fueled by anger over economic hardship, rising prices and inflation before expanding into broader anti-government demonstrations.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ‘STARTING TO’ CROSS US RED LINES AS PROTESTERS DIE IN GOVERNMENT CRACKDOWN

Protests against the Ayatollah-led regime erupted Dec. 28. (Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty Images)

«The calls I received on my home phone for medical advice were no longer about pellet wounds,» the doctor said. «People were saying they had been shot, with bullets entering one side of the body and exiting the other. Live ammunition.»

Describing scenes in Isfahan, which is a major protest hub, the doctor said streets were stained with blood as security forces deployed heavier weapons.

«A large amount of blood, about a liter, had pooled in the gutter and blood trails extended for several meters,» the doctor claimed.

«The level and intensity of violence increased step by step,» he said before describing a change in aggression on Jan. 9.

IRANIAN HOSPITALS OVERWHELMED WITH INJURIES AS PROTESTS RAGE ACROSS ISLAMIC REPUBLIC

Eight «unrecognizable» bodies were reportedly brought in during a night shift, the doctor claimed. (Getty Images)

«On Friday night, I heard automatic gunfire. I am familiar with weapons and can distinguish their sounds. I heard DShK heavy machine guns. I heard PK machine guns.

«These weapons are in the possession of IRGC units — DShKs, PK machine guns, and Kalashnikovs,» the doctor said. «The trauma cases I saw were brutal, shoot-to-kill.»

Victims ranged from teenagers to elderly men, the doctor said. Some injuries were so severe that bodies were unrecognizable.

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«One colleague said that during a night shift, eight bodies were brought in with gunshot wounds to the face; their faces were unrecognizable. Many bodies are not identifiable at all,» he added.

The account comes as President Donald Trump publicly voiced support for Iranian protesters. 

On Tuesday, Trump urged Iranians to «take over» their institutions, saying he had canceled all meetings with Iranian officials until the crackdown ends.