Disputes over prisoner counts between Venezuela’s government and human rights organizations have raised questions about the scope of the releases.
Venezuela’s acting government released 266 prisoners since January 8 under newly installed president Delcy Rodríguez, as the country responds to U.S. pressure to free dissidents jailed by ousted leader Nicolás Maduro. More than 100 prisoners were freed over the past two days, according to Foro Penal, a prisoner-rights organization.
Disputes over prisoner counts have emerged between Venezuela’s government and human rights organizations, with questions about both the number freed and the status of those remaining in detention.
New Leadership Charts a Different Course
Rodríguez became acting president after Maduro was captured by the United States on January 3. She has made prisoner releases central to her stated agenda of national reconciliation.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised the releases on Monday. “I am pleased to report that Venezuela is releasing its Political Prisoners at a rapid rate, which rate will be increasing over the coming short period of time. I’d like to thank the leadership of Venezuela for agreeing to this powerful humanitarian gesture!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The freed prisoners included an opposition activist, a human rights lawyer, and a journalism student who was jailed in March after publishing complaints about his hometown’s sewage system, according to human rights groups monitoring the releases.
Hundreds Remain Behind Bars
Foro Penal said at least 600 dissidents remain imprisoned in Venezuela, including several members of the Vente Venezuela party led by opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado.
Competing Accounts Complicate the Picture
The number of prisoners freed has become a point of contention. On Friday, Rodríguez said her administration had freed more than 620 prisoners. On Monday, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said 808 prisoners had been freed since December. Human rights groups in Venezuela have accused the government of inflating the figures, while officials have claimed that nongovernmental organizations are attempting to undermine state credibility.
Cabello also said there “were no political prisoners” in Venezuela, only people who “committed crimes.” Outside Venezuela’s prisons, relatives of detainees have held regular vigils demanding the release of those still behind bars.