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1h ago

Venezuela Claims 116 Freed as Rights Groups Count Dozens in Slow Prisoner Releases

Rights monitors say the process lacks transparency despite U.S. leverage following Maduro’s seizure.

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People celebrate after President Donald Trump announced Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country, in Doral, Fla., Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
Relatives of political detainees wait outside Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police after spending the night there in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Relatives wait outside Zone 7 of the Bolivarian National Police, where political detainees are held, after spending the night there in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Overview

  • Venezuela’s Penitentiary Services Ministry reported 116 releases in recent hours after days of staggered actions tied to detentions under Nicolás Maduro.
  • Foro Penal verified only 41 freed by Monday morning, with independent tallies later reaching roughly 49–50, and rights groups estimate 800–1,200 people remain jailed for political reasons.
  • Families continue to wait outside prisons such as El Rodeo and El Helicoide, reporting opaque procedures and back‑door departures as authorities provide no official list of those released.
  • The UN Fact-Finding Mission welcomed releases but said the numbers fall far short of Venezuela’s human rights obligations, while prosecutors confirmed the custody death of police officer Edison Jose Torres Fernandez.
  • Acting President Delcy Rodríguez is engaging with Washington after Maduro’s capture, as U.S. envoys discuss reopening the embassy, President Trump hails initial releases, and María Corina Machado meets Pope Leo XIV ahead of a planned White House visit.