Venezuela's interim government announced on August 14 that it had released 131 individuals considered political prisoners, seen as a sign of progress in the national reconciliation process following the U.S. ouster of former President Nicolas Maduro.
According to the interim government, those released were granted "alternative measures to imprisonment" under the Peace and Democratic Coexistence Program.
The opposition movement Vente Venezuela said it had independently verified the release of 43 people, while the human rights organization Foro Penal – which advocates for detained political prisoners – confirmed that "at least 40 people" had been freed.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the release of more than 130 political prisoners in Venezuela as a "significant step for the nation's reconciliation process." Rubio also noted that since the U.S. ousted and detained Maduro on January 3, a total of 1,046 Venezuelans have been released.
Venezuela is currently run by Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro's former deputy, with significant influence from Washington.
Many former prisoners had emotional reunions with their families outside El Rodeo I prison in Guatire, about 50 kilometers east of the capital Caracas.
According to Foro Penal, 17 women were released on August 14, including one accused of involvement in an assassination plot against Maduro. The organization previously said that 391 political prisoners remained detained as of August 10.
Enormous relief
Opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa welcomed the release of prisoners but demanded the release of all political prisoners. Guanipa wrote on social media platform X that each person returning home is an "enormous relief" for families who have "suffered too much," but stressed that releasing only some prisoners is not enough.
He called for the release of all political prisoners "without exception, without delay, and immediately," and argued that Venezuela needs to "permanently close the doors of torture centers."
The first round of talks between the government and opposition, mediated by the U.S., began last week and concluded on August 12. In a joint statement following the talks, both sides agreed to work on recovering frozen funds abroad to support reconstruction after June's earthquake that killed more than 6,300 people, as well as reforming Venezuela's judiciary. However, the joint statement did not address the issue of political prisoners.
The reconciliation talks are led by Dinorah Figuera and National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez, brother of interim President Delcy Rodriguez. Figuera pledged to continue fighting for the release of more political prisoners in the negotiations.
Many Venezuelans hope the transitional talks will lead to democratic elections, after Maduro's victories in the 2018 and 2024 elections were rejected by the opposition and many foreign countries as fraudulent.
