In a significant diplomatic development, multiple American detainees have been released from Venezuelan custody following recent political upheaval in the South American nation. The Trump administration confirmed the releases Tuesday, with the State Department characterizing the action as “an important step in the right direction” by Venezuela’s interim authorities.
According to sources familiar with the matter, four Americans were released as a group on Tuesday, with an additional detainee quietly freed the previous day. The releases occurred against the backdrop of dramatic political changes in Venezuela, where U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro in a nighttime raid earlier this month.
The prisoner releases appear to be part of broader conciliatory gestures by Venezuela’s new leadership. Jorge Rodríguez, head of Venezuela’s national assembly, announced last week that a “significant number” of both Venezuelan and foreign prisoners would be freed as a peace-seeking measure following Maduro’s deposition.
Independent verification of the releases remains challenging due to limited transparency from Venezuelan authorities. The human rights organization Foro Penal confirmed 56 political prisoners had been freed as of Tuesday evening, while the Venezuelan government claimed approximately 400 releases without providing substantiating evidence or identifying those freed.
This episode continues a pattern of prisoner exchanges between the two nations despite their historically strained relations. In July, Venezuela released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for the repatriation of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador.