Venezuela has commenced a substantial prisoner release initiative, described by National Assembly leader Jorge Rodríguez as a governmental gesture “to seek peace.” This development occurs less than one week after former President Nicolás Maduro was apprehended by U.S. forces to confront federal drug-trafficking charges in New York.
While Rodríguez confirmed the releases were actively underway, he provided no specific details regarding the number of detainees or their identities. The Spanish government separately confirmed the liberation of five Spanish citizens in Caracas, with embassy officials coordinating their repatriation.
Human rights organization Penal Forum documented 863 individuals detained for “political reasons” in Venezuela as of late December 2025. Alfredo Romero, the organization’s director, characterized the releases as “good news” while emphasizing ongoing verification efforts. “We already know of some people on their way to freedom, including foreigners,” Romero stated via social media.
The Venezuelan government maintains its longstanding position denying the existence of “political prisoners,” instead accusing detainees of conspiring to destabilize Maduro’s administration. This pattern of strategic prisoner releases has been noted by political analysts including Ronal Rodríguez of the University of Rosario in Bogotá, who observed that “the regime uses them like a bargaining chip” at politically opportune moments.
This development coincides with heightened U.S. engagement in Venezuelan affairs. The Trump administration recently seized sanctioned oil tankers and announced plans to relax certain sanctions, enabling American oversight of Venezuela’s global petroleum sales. These actions implement President Trump’s pledge that the U.S. would “run” the country following Maduro’s capture, demonstrating Washington’s determination to leverage Venezuela’s substantial oil resources to influence the nation’s political trajectory.