WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 9, 2026) – The McCain Institute celebrates the release of McCain Global Leader and Venezuelan opposition leader Jesús Armas. Since December 10, 2024, Armas has been unjustly held as a political prisoner under the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Yesterday, he was released after nearly 13 months of torture, isolation, and no due process.
Since his disappearance and detention, the McCain Institute has repeatedly called for his release, worked with U.S. government and foreign government officials, petitioned the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and took on his case under the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative. The McCain Institute collaborated on these initiatives with the Obama Foundation, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Center, Defiende Venezuela, and the McCain Global Leaders Alumni Network.
“Today is one of great joy as we join family, friends, and colleagues of McCain Global Leader Jesús Armas in celebrating his release,” said McCain Institute Executive Director Dr. Evelyn Farkas. “For far too long, Jesús suffered at the hands of the Maduro regime simply for his fearless leadership and staunch determination for a free and just Venezuela. The McCain Institute continues to call on the regime to release all political prisoners, restore human rights, and move toward a government that is accountable to all Venezuelans and provides a better, democratic future.”
A defender of democracy and human rights in Venezuela, Armas served from 2013-2018 as a member of the city council in Caracas, founded the NGO Ciudadanía Sin Límites where he led efforts to expand access to clean water, energy, and increase civic participation in vulnerable communities, and worked alongside 2025 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient María Corina Machado in opposition to authoritarianism and human rights abuses in Venezuela. He was also the recipient of the Chevening Scholarship, an Obama Foundation Columbia University Scholar, and a 2023 McCain Global Leader.
“Jesús Armas represents the best of the next generation of leaders around the world. His incredible commitment to democracy, so great that he risked his own freedom, serves as an inspiration to freedom fighters in every corner of the world,” said McCain Institute Assistant Director of Global Leadership Scott Nemeth. “Many people across the McCain Global Leaders Alumni Network and here at the McCain Institute worked tirelessly to advocate for his release. Today, we celebrate, but we also recognize that the work is not done until all political prisoners in Venezuela are free.”
“After 426 days of unjust detention, the release of Jesús Armas is a powerful reminder of why this work matters. Jesús was one of the first four cases taken on by the John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative. His courage, integrity, and refusal to abandon peaceful civic engagement exemplify the very values authoritarian systems seek to suppress. Today’s news does not erase the harm done, but it affirms that sustained, principled advocacy can make a difference,” said McCain Institute John McCain Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative Director Pedro Pizano.
Learn more about the McCain Institute’s Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative HERE.