Venezuela has begun releasing a significant number of political prisoners, including several foreign nationals, a development praised by United States President Donald Trump as a step toward renewed cooperation following the removal of former leader Nicolas Maduro.
The releases, which started on Thursday, mark the first major gesture by the new interim administration led by Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former deputy, who assumed power with the backing of Washington. Trump has said he is prepared to work with Rodriguez’s government provided the United States is granted access to Venezuela’s vast oil resources.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump described the prisoner releases as a sign of “seeking peace,” calling them “a very important and smart gesture.” He added that relations between Washington and Caracas were improving and revealed that he had cancelled a planned second wave of US strikes against Venezuela due to what he described as growing cooperation.
Among those freed was former opposition presidential candidate Enrique Marquez, who challenged Maduro in the disputed 2024 election. Speaking in a video recorded by a local journalist, Marquez said, “It’s all over now,” as he appeared alongside his wife and fellow opposition figure Biagio Pilieri.
The White House credited Trump’s pressure for the releases. Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the development showed how the president was using “maximum leverage” to secure outcomes beneficial to both Americans and Venezuelans.
Jorge Rodriguez, the interim leader’s brother and Venezuela’s parliamentary speaker, confirmed that “a large number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals” were being freed in the interest of “peaceful coexistence,” though he did not provide details on the exact number or locations of the prisoners.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado welcomed the move, saying in an audio message that “injustice will not last forever” and that truth would ultimately prevail.
Families of detainees gathered outside Caracas’s El Helicoide detention centre on Thursday, hoping for news of their relatives. Security was heightened around the facility, which has long been associated with the detention of political prisoners. Venezuela-based rights group Foro Penal estimates that more than 800 political prisoners remain in custody nationwide.
Spain’s foreign ministry confirmed that five Spanish citizens were among those released, including prominent Spanish-Venezuelan activist Rocio San Miguel, who had been detained since February 2024 over alleged involvement in a plot against Maduro—charges she denied.
The developments come amid wider geopolitical tensions. Trump recently said the US military would expand its operations against drug cartels, including land-based strikes, after maritime operations reportedly destroyed dozens of cartel-linked vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s political future remains uncertain. Maduro was captured in a US-led operation and taken to New York to face drug-related charges, a move that sparked protests by his supporters in Caracas. Delcy Rodriguez has insisted that Venezuela is “not subordinate or subjugated” to Washington, despite the growing US role in the country’s transition.
Oil remains central to US-Venezuela relations. Trump has announced plans for the United States to sell tens of millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude, with proceeds to be used by Caracas to purchase American goods. While the interim government has defended the arrangement as normal, public opinion in Venezuela remains divided.
The US Senate has also moved toward passing a resolution aimed at limiting military action against Venezuela, though the measure faces uncertainty in the Republican-controlled House.
As negotiations continue, Trump has warned that Rodriguez could face serious consequences if she fails to comply with his administration’s agenda, underscoring the fragile balance shaping Venezuela’s post-Maduro transition.
