Sunday morning, we awoke to the good news that Jesús Armas, a Venezuelan civic leader and 2022 alumnus of the Fisher Family Summer Fellows Program at Stanford University's Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), had been released from prison after more than a year in detention. He was forcibly disappeared and detained in Venezuela by security forces in December 2024 following the country’s stolen presidential election earlier that year. We are deeply relieved that he is now free from imprisonment in El Helicoide — a place, Jesús wrote upon his release, “that has been a symbol of torture, evil, and authoritarianism.”

Jesús is a dedicated public servant, engineer, and activist who has worked bravely with the opposition to promote peaceful democratic participation, free and fair elections, and civic unity in Venezuela. His detention occurred amid a broader wave of arrests targeting opposition organizers, journalists, and civil society actors in the country, and his case drew sustained international concern.

Reflecting on his experience, Jesús wrote that “nobody should be behind bars for thinking differently,” underscoring the principle that peaceful dissent must not be met with imprisonment.

We hope this development contributes to continued progress toward the release of all individuals unjustly detained for peaceful civic and political engagement, in Venezuela and beyond, and toward renewed respect for human dignity, fundamental rights, and the rule of law.