STORY: Mariana Gonzalez de Tudares, the daughter of Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, urged authorities to provide proof of life for her husband, Rafael Tudares Bracho, saying she has had no direct or indirect communication with him since his arrest a year ago.

"It has been a long time, and I have no proof of life. I demand proof of life because I need to know how my husband is doing," she said in a recorded statement released on Sunday (January 11).

Tudares Bracho was arrested on January 7, 2025, three days before Nicolas Maduro's inauguration for a new presidential term.

Gonzalez de Tudares' remarks come after National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced the release of "a significant number" of people detained for political reasons, without giving figures or conditions. Families have remained outside detention centers waiting for the announced releases to materialize.

Venezuela's government said on Monday (January 12) that 116 prisoners had been released "in the past few hours," according to a statement from the Ministry of Penitentiary Services, though rights groups reported a lower figure.

Local rights group Foro Penal said earlier on Monday that releases had reached 41, including 24 freed overnight. Foro Penal has said at least 800 people were being held as political prisoners at the beginning of the year; the government denies holding detainees for political reasons.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM MARIANA GONZALEZ DE TUDARES, DAUGHTER OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER, EDMUNDO GONZALEZ / FILE FOOTAGE OF GONZALEZ DE TUDARES AND GONZALEZ DURING RALLIES

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE STORY

SHOWS: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (RELEASED ON JANUARY 11, 2026) (ORIGINALLY SHOT IN PORTRAIT) (@MARIANAGTUDARES VIA X - Must on screen courtesy @MarianaGTudares via X / No resale / No archive)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DAUGHTER OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER EDMUNDO GONZALEZ, MARIANA GONZALEZ DE TUDARES, SAYING:

"It has been a long time, and I have no proof of life. I demand proof of life because I need to know how my husband is doing. I need to hear his voice, I need to be able to give him the basics, the essentials. More than a year without hearing my husband's voice. No one who has been isolated from their family for more than a year can be well. Psychological torture becomes stronger than physical torture, and this is true for both him and his family."

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DAUGHTER OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER EDMUNDO GONZALEZ, MARIANA GONZALEZ DE TUDARES, SAYING:

"Here, the whole family is suffering because they don't know how Rafael Tudares Bracho is doing. Rafael was sentenced to 30 years in prison. A court order that I reject. Rafael is innocent. Rafael has not committed any crime. I demand proof of life. It is my right. It is my husband's right. It is my children's right. Rafael is an only child and has a mother who is waiting for him at home. I demand justice. I demand proof of life and I demand humanity."

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (FILE - JULY 14, 2024) (REUTERS - Access all)

4. VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION LEADER, EDMUNDO GONZALEZ, WALKING NEXT HIS DAUGHTER MARIANA AND HIS WIFE AND MERCEDES LOPEZ DURING A RALLY IN UNIVERSIDAD CENTRAL DE VENEZUELA

5. GONZALEZ, AND OPPOSITION LEADER, MARIA CORINA MACHADO, HOLDING HANDS UP AS STUDENTS CHEER

6. GONZALEZ, MERCEDES LOPEZ AND MACHADO WAVING TO STUDENTS

CARACAS, VENEZUELA (FILE - JULY 30, 2024) (REUTERS - Access all)

7. TRUCK CARRYING MACHADO AND GONZALEZ MOVING AMONG SUPPORTERS

8. MACHADO HANDING VOTING RECORD TO GONZALEZ / GONZALEZ SHOWING VOTING RECORD TO THE CROWD AND MARIANA GONZALEZ DE TUDARES BEHIND HER FATHER

9. GONZALEZ SHOWING VOTING RECORD TO THE CROWD AND MARIANA GONZALEZ DE TUDARES BEHIND HER FATHER

10. GONZALEZ SPEAKING AND MARIANA GONZALEZ DE TUDARES BEHIND HER FATHER