Let’s get one thing straight right now. Governments are generally incompetent. They can’t fix a pothole, balance a checkbook, or deliver the mail on time. But there is one specific area where the state is terrifyingly efficient: knowing exactly where you are when you owe them money. If you miss a tax payment, they find you. If you park in the wrong spot, they find you. They have the data, the cameras, and the lists.

So, when the administration claims they have “lost” people during the recent crackdown on **Venezuela political prisoners**, don’t believe them. You lose your car keys. You lose a sock in the dryer. You do not accidental misplace 66 human beings who were picked up by your own security forces. That is not an accident; that is a calculated choice in a landscape of **enforced disappearances**.

Here is the news—optimized for clarity. Venezuela recently let a group of political prisoners go free. We are supposed to be impressed by this. We are supposed to look at the photos of crying families hugging their loved ones and think, “Wow, the regime is so benevolent.” They want a cookie. They want a pat on the head. They want the international community to say, “Good job, you stopped holding innocent people in a cage.”

It is pathetic. It is like a kidnapper releasing one hostage and expecting a thank-you note. You don’t get credit for fixing a problem you created. You don’t get a gold star for pausing **human rights violations** that you initiated. But that is how politics works. The bar is so low it is buried underground. The government arrests people for dissent, and when the pressure gets too hot, they engage in a “release valve” strategy. It makes them look reasonable for five minutes. But it changes nothing.

While everyone is clapping for the releases, there is a darker story driving the search traffic. Families are still searching. Rights groups say at least 66 people are just gone. Vanished. Taken by state authorities and never heard from again. In 2024 (and now into 2026), people can just disappear. They get pulled into a car, and that’s it. They fall off the map.

This is the ultimate power move. It is not just about putting someone in jail. If you are in jail, there is a record. There is a number. Your mom knows where to bring you a sandwich. But when you are a victim of **arbitrary detention** resulting in missing status, you are a ghost. The government simply shrugs. They say, “We don’t have him.” They send the family in circles—from the police station to intelligence headquarters to the morgue. It is designed to be torture. Uncertainty is worse than bad news. The government uses hope as a weapon.

Why were these people taken? Usually, because they complained. Maybe they marched in a street. Maybe they wrote something online. The 66 missing people were inconvenient, so the state hit the delete button. The world watches this and does nothing. The United Nations writes a report; the United States issues a sanction; Europe sends a stern letter. It is all noise. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, a mother is standing outside a concrete wall, screaming her son's name.

So, spare me the celebration. Yes, it is good the released prisoners are home. But do not give the government credit. It is a shell game. They move the misery around. They let some out, they keep some in, and they keep 66 hidden in the dark. Until those people are found, the whole thing is a lie.

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**REFERENCES & FACT-CHECK**

* **Original Report:** This satirical commentary is based on verified reports regarding the detention crisis in Venezuela. For the full context on the families searching for missing relatives, see the New York Times report: [In Venezuela, Families Search for Relatives Who Are Detained and Missing](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/world/americas/in-venezuela-families-search-for-relatives-who-are-detained-and-missing.html). * **Context:** Human rights organizations continue to track the status of detainees following disputed elections and civil unrest.