SAN FRANCISCO DE YARE, Venezuela — Venezuelan government releases of detainees continued into a third day on Saturday, as families gathered outside prisons in Caracas and other communities seeking emotional reunions. The releases began after the government pledged a goodwill effort to free what it described as a significant number of prisoners.
One of those freed was Diógenes Angulo, who was released Saturday after a year and five months in a Venezuelan prison. Angulo, his mother and his aunt trembled and struggled for words as neighbors and other families nearby hoped for similar reunions.
Angulo’s case highlighted the broader uncertainty that has shaped the process. Venezuela’s officials have pledged to free detainees in what they described as a gesture to “seek peace,” but they have not identified or given a number for who would be considered for release, leaving rights groups to search for hints and families to watch the hours pass without word.
Angulo was detained two days before the 2024 presidential election, after he posted a video of an opposition demonstration in Barinas. He was 17 at the time, and he said his faith helped him endure during detention. “Thank God, I’m going to enjoy my family again,” he told The Associated Press, adding that others still detained “are well” and have high hopes of being released soon.
Minutes after Angulo was freed, he learned that former President Nicolás Maduro had been captured by U.S. forces on Jan. 3 in a nighttime raid in Caracas. Maduro’s capture has fed into demonstrations in Venezuela and new diplomatic signals between Washington and Caracas as families await word on which detainees will be released next.
Venezuela’s government on Thursday pledged the releases as part of the “seek peace” effort, but it has not disclosed which detainees qualify. As of Saturday night, Foro Penal, a Venezuelan advocacy group for prisoners, said 16 people imprisoned for political reasons had been released and 804 remained imprisoned.
Among the early releases, Rocío San Miguel—described as one of the first to be freed—has not been returned to ordinary life, according to a statement from her brother, José Manuel San Miguel. He said her release “is not full freedom, but rather a precautionary measure substituting deprivation of liberty,” adding that the conditions of her release ban her from speaking to the media. He also said the situation “does not constitute exile, nor a waiver of her rights,” but is part of the humanitarian and diplomatic agreements reached to facilitate her release.
Rights advocates and opposition supporters also continued to look for other detained political figures still in custody. The AP reported that among prominent opposition members detained after the 2024 presidential elections and still imprisoned were former lawmaker Freddy Superlano and Perkins Rocha, a lawyer for opposition leader María Corina Machado. It also said Juan Pablo Guanipa, a former governor and an ally of Machado, and Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González, remained imprisoned.
Political momentum continued on multiple fronts. Acting president Delcy Rodríguez, speaking at a public social-sector event in Caracas, again condemned the U.S. military action on Saturday. “There is a government, that of President Nicolás Maduro, and I have the responsibility to take charge while his kidnapping lasts … We will not stop condemning the criminal aggression,” she said.
For its part, the Trump administration linked the prisoner-release effort to U.S. requests. Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that “Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners,” and he thanked the United States for what he said it did. Trump also said the release of people detained for political reasons came at Washington’s request, and he added that should prisoners forget, “it will not be good for them.”
Alongside the prisoner releases, the AP reported that the U.S. and Venezuelan governments said they are evaluating the restoration of diplomatic relations, which had been broken since 2019, and the reopening of their respective diplomatic missions. It said a U.S. delegation visited Venezuela for several hours Friday.
The renewed diplomacy also intersected with international appeals for peace. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil responded to Pope Leo XIV’s Friday statement calling for maintaining peace and “respecting the will of the Venezuelan people,” saying Venezuela reaffirms that it “builds, works, and defends its sovereignty with peace and dignity,” and inviting the pontiff “to get to know this reality more closely.”