Venezuela's government announces the release of many prisoners

According to the human rights organization Foro Penal, there are around 800 political prisoners in the South American country. Many were arrested during the protests against the re-election of authoritarian head of state Nicolás Maduro in 2024, which was overshadowed by allegations of fraud. International organizations and activists accuse the Venezuelan security forces of serious human rights violations.

"We know that some people are already on their way to freedom, including foreigners," wrote the head of Foro Penal, Alfredo Romero, on X. "We will check every release."

Dozens of political prisoners have already been released recently

The Venezuelan government had already released dozens of political prisoners at Christmas and New Year. At the time, the prison administration announced that this was a contribution to peace, dialog and justice.

Last weekend, US soldiers arrested Maduro and brought him to the United States. He is to be tried there for drug offenses. His successor Rodríguez is considered a loyal supporter of Maduro and has condemned the arrest as an act of aggression in violation of international law.

Nobel Peace Prize winner calls for the release of the prisoners

In a recent interview, Nobel Peace Prize winner and opposition leader María Corina Machado emphasized the need to release political prisoners as an essential point in order to achieve change in the country. "There can be no transition with political prisoners," she said. She regarded the new government under Delcy Rodríguez as "absolutely temporary". "The goal is for this process to be as short as possible, absolutely as short and quick as possible," she said.