Under pressure from the United States, Venezuela’s interim government has continued releasing hundreds of political prisoners in recent weeks to help stabilise the country following the dramatic capture of President Nicolás Maduro by US forces on January 3.
A leading human rights group in the country reported that as many as “104 political prisoners were released on Sunday by the government,” which has faced massive pressure from the Donald Trump administration. These prisoners were freed amid ongoing demands from Washington, with many having been arrested during nationwide protests against Maduro’s disputed 2024 re-election, which Western governments widely rejected as fraudulent.
In a post on X, Alfredo Romero, director of the NGO Foro Penal, stated, “We have identified 104 releases of political prisoners in Venezuela today. We continue to verify other releases from prison. It would be ideal if the government published lists of releases.”
Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, appointed after Maduro’s capture in early January, has pledged to release a significant number of opponents imprisoned under the former leader.
Rodríguez’s brother, Jorge Rodríguez—who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly—described the releases as a goodwill gesture aimed at promoting “peaceful coexistence”.
Foro Penal has so far confirmed the release of 881 political prisoners in Venezuela up to January 26.
The group also verified that 143 additional prisoners have been freed since January 8, when large-scale releases were first announced.
Interim President Rodríguez has challenged Foro Penal’s figures and demanded that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights independently verify whether the government has released 626 prisoners since December 2025. Foro Penal has so far confirmed only about half that number during the same period.
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