A major Venezuelan human rights group says at least 80 political prisoners have been released under pressure from the United States.
Alfredo Romero, head of Foro Penal, said his group was verifying the identities of those released Saturday from prisons across the country and that more releases were likely.
These are the latest detainees released since the United States raided and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month and brought him to New York to stand trial on drug trafficking charges.
On Friday, Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said more than 600 prisoners had been freed, but Foro Penal said this figure was inflated.
Romero announced the release via social media. He also posted an image of fellow Foro Penal member Kennedy Tejeda, who he said has been held in Tocoron prison, west of the capital Caracas, since August 2024.
Gonzalo Himiob, a lawyer for Foro Penal, said in a post to
Foro Penal previously said many of those released in recent weeks had failed to have the charges against them dismissed.
This left them in legal trouble and banned from speaking in public, the group said.
Before developments this weekend, the group confirmed it had freed just 156 political prisoners since January 8.
Those confirmed to have been released so far include some domestic opposition figures and at least five Spanish nationals.
Separately, Rodriguez said he planned to call the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Monday to ask the U.N. to confirm the list of those who have been released so far.
Human rights groups and activists have long accused the government of using detentions to chastise critics. The Venezuelan government denied detaining political prisoners and claimed they were arrested for criminal activity.
Many people have been detained since the 2024 presidential election in which Maduro claimed victory despite opponents and many countries contesting the results.
