Does Trump intend to run Venezuela’s oil industry long term?
Venezuela remains reeling from the detention and arrest of its controversial leader, but many are nervous about the big decisions ahead.
A leading Venezuelan lawmaker said on Tuesday, January 13, that more than 400 people had been released from prison as part of an ongoing release process, but rights groups estimate the number released in recent days to be even lower, at between 60 and 70.
Congressional President Jorge Rodriguez and President Donald Trump said last week that a number of prisoners would be released as part of the peace deal following the U.S. arrest of President Nicolás Maduro.
The release of those deemed political prisoners by the opposition is one of their long-standing demands. Venezuela’s government has always denied detaining people for political reasons and said it had already released most of the 2,000 people detained after protests over the disputed 2024 election.
“The decision to release not political prisoners, but some politicians who have broken the law and violated the constitution, as well as those who have called for invasion, is recognized,” Rodriguez told parliament on Tuesday, adding that the decision was to promote “peaceful coexistence.”
He said more than 400 cases had been released, although he did not give a specific time frame.
A US State Department spokesperson told Reuters the release of the detained Americans was welcomed and was an “important step in the right direction.”
Local non-governmental organizations said the number of prisoners released since Thursday was in the range of 60 to 70, blaming the slow pace of releases and lack of information about them.
On Monday, Venezuelan prison authorities announced that 116 people had been released. Foro Penal, a leading local NGO that works to provide legal assistance to detainees, said at least 800 political prisoners were in prison earlier this year.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Colina Machado, who is scheduled to meet with President Trump on Thursday, January 15, is one of the main voices calling for the release of the prisoners, some of whom are her close allies.
Families and rights groups have denounced abuses against detainees, including denial of medical care, use of solitary confinement, lack of access to lawyers and even torture.
(Reporting by Reuters staff; Editing by Iñigo Alexander and Rosalba O’Brien; Reporting by Humaira Pamuk; Writing by Christian Martinez)
