Venezuela Releases Political Prisoners Amid Conflicting Counts and Mounting Pressure

Venezuela’s government announced on Monday that 116 prisoners have been released so far under a process unveiled last week, but human rights organizations and opposition groups reported significantly lower figures, highlighting ongoing tensions over political prisoners in the country. The discrepancy has fueled frustration among families of detainees, many of whom have been waiting outside prisons in Caracas, some sleeping on mattresses and holding candlelit vigils as they await news of their loved ones.

By late Monday afternoon, Unidad Venezuela, a coalition of opposition parties, said only 65 people had been freed, urging authorities on social media to accelerate the release process and ease what it described as the prolonged suffering of political prisoners and their families. Legal advocacy group Foro Penal reported an even lower number, saying it had verified the release of just 49 detainees.

The government’s figure, published by the Ministry of Penitentiary Services, came after several days of criticism from rights groups over delays. Authorities said those released had been detained for “acts associated with disrupting the constitutional order and undermining the stability of the nation,” a claim long disputed by human rights organizations that argue many cases are politically motivated.

Families have described desperate searches across multiple detention centers. Mariana Gonzalez de Tudares, daughter of former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, said she has received no proof of life from her husband, Rafael Tudares, who was detained in January 2025 while taking their children to school. She said more than a year has passed without hearing his voice, underscoring the emotional toll on relatives.

The gradual releases follow a week of political upheaval in Caracas after the reported capture of President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. authorities and his appearance in a New York court on drug trafficking charges. Human rights groups have long demanded the release of hundreds of political prisoners in Venezuela, a call echoed by international bodies and opposition leaders.

Opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump later this week, has been a prominent advocate for detainees’ freedom. On Monday, she visited the Vatican and appealed to Pope Leo to intercede on behalf of Venezuelans she said remain “kidnapped and disappeared.”

According to Foro Penal, at least 800 people were held as political prisoners at the start of the year, a figure the Venezuelan government continues to deny, insisting detentions are based on criminal, not political, grounds.