After five years in prison, former Venezuelan Interior and Justice Minister Miguel Rodríguez Torres, a close associate of late President Hugo Chávez, was released from prison on Saturday, the retired military officer said. In a video posted on social media, the officer accused of human rights abuses said he was torn between joy at leaving what he called “the gray box» and the sadness of leaving his «beloved Venezuela“.
He had fallen out with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after serving as his interior and justice minister. His release is the result of talks between Chavista delegates and the Venezuelan opposition in Mexico. Local media reported that he had gone into exile in Spain.
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A former close friend of Hugo Chávez, Miguel Rodríguez Torres joined him during his failed military coup in 1992. During the former’s presidential term (1999-2013), the latter held several positions of trust.
After the death of the former Venezuelan leader from cancer in 2013 and the rise to power of Nicolas Maduro, Miguel Rodríguez Torres was kept as Minister of the Interior and Justice. Sacked in 2014, he had distanced himself from Nicolas Maduro, joining the list of former Chavista officials critical of power. He was arrested in March 2018 by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin). Accused of “action against peace“, he had been charged with six counts, including “incitement to rebellion», «treason», «spying” and “attack on the military institution“, for which he was never convicted.