Venezuela announced on Thursday it would release a “significant number” of prisoners in a move the government framed as a “pro-peace” gesture.
National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez said the releases were “immediate” and would include both Venezuelans and foreigners, but he did not say how many would be released or specifically who would be released. In a message broadcast on public television channel TeleSur, he said the move was aimed at contributing to “national unity.”
The incident comes just days after the United States captured Venezuela’s long-authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro in a stunning military raid and took him to New York on drug trafficking charges.
Since the attack, U.S. officials have been working to establish an amenable transitional government in Venezuela and, among other things, demanding that Venezuela release political prisoners, according to a person familiar with meetings with key U.S. officials this week.
Following Rodríguez’s announcement, Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that five Spaniards, one of them a dual citizen, had been released and were preparing to fly to Spain with the help of the embassy.
“Spain, which maintains friendly relations with the Venezuelan people, welcomes this decision as a positive step as Venezuela enters a new phase,” the ministry said.
Days before the U.S. detained Mr. Maduro, a U.S. official told CNN that Venezuelan security forces had detained at least five Americans in recent months. The official said the Trump administration believes the Americans were detained as leverage, adding that while the details of the incidents vary, some may have been involved in drug smuggling.
It is unclear whether the five people will be among those released.
Venezuelan activist Alfredo Romero said in a post on X that his human rights group, the Criminal Forum, “verifies each release.”
The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners of Venezuela (CLIPVE) called for “swift action and transparency” regarding the release of detainees by the government.
“There continues to be a lack of transparency and sufficient discretion in the handling of these releases, increasing anxiety, distress and uncertainty for families and political prisoners,” CLIPPE said in a statement.
Venezuelan opposition parties and foreign governments have long accused Maduro’s government of taking political prisoners, but Caracas’ president has dismissed international reports of arbitrary detention as “irresponsible, biased” and “interventionist.”
In the aftermath of Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election, more than 2,000 people were arrested in a subsequent crackdown by government forces after Maduro claimed victory despite independent observers condemning the vote as undemocratic, according to Amnesty International.
Many of these detainees are being held in a detention facility in Caracas known as El Helicoid.
Originally built as a shopping mall, this impressive building now serves as the headquarters of Venezuelan intelligence services and a notorious prison.
Venezuela also faces allegations of mistreating political prisoners held at El Helicoid and elsewhere.
A 2025 Human Rights Watch (HRW) study found that many political prisoners were held in isolation for long periods and denied access to family members or legal representatives.
HRW Americas director Juanita Goebertus described the treatment of political prisoners as “appalling evidence of the brutality of repression in Venezuela.”
Since President Maduro’s ouster, many Venezuelans have expressed concern that his successor, acting President Delcy Rodríguez, will continue or further strengthen this policy.
On Monday, Venezuelan authorities imposed a decree granting the president broad powers and ordering security forces to detain “persons involved in promoting or supporting” the weekend’s U.S. attacks.
According to CLIPPVE, political prisoners have had their visitation rights suspended and are prohibited from communicating with the outside world.
CNN’s Michael Rios, Alaina Treen, Kristen Holmes and Jennifer Hansler contributed.
