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Venezuela Begins Releasing a ‘Significant Number’ of Prisoners, Including Foreign Nationals

Officials gave no list or total, with rights groups verifying cases and questioning whether the releases are unconditional.

Overview

  • National Assembly chief Jorge Rodríguez said releases were underway immediately and framed the move as a unilateral step to “seek peace.”
  • Spain’s Foreign Ministry confirmed five Spanish citizens were freed in Caracas and are preparing to return to Spain.
  • Venezuelan NGOs, including Foro Penal, say 800–900 people are held for political reasons and are checking case by case who is actually being released.
  • Authorities have not provided a comprehensive roster or clarified conditions of release, a point long raised by human-rights groups after past conditional liberations.
  • The development follows the U.S. capture and arraignment of Nicolás Maduro and U.S. actions to seize sanctioned oil tankers and assert oversight of Venezuelan oil sales.