By Paul Elo
Venezuela says it has released 116 political prisoners since announcing last week that it would begin freeing people jailed under President Nicolás Maduro, who was seized by U.S. forces during a raid in Caracas.
In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of the Penitentiary Service said the releases involved individuals detained for acts “linked to disrupting the constitutional order and undermining the nation’s stability.”
Opposition groups and human rights organisations, however, put the figure lower. Relatives of detainees have also gathered outside several prisons, awaiting confirmation about the fate of their loved ones.
Rights group Foro Penal said 24 detainees were freed early Monday, including two Italian nationals, while the political opposition confirmed the release of a youth leader.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the development, confirming on X that the two Italians were safe at the Italian Embassy in Caracas. She said she had spoken with them and that arrangements were underway to fly them back to Italy.
Human rights organisations estimate that Venezuela still holds between 800 and 1,200 political prisoners.
The government announced the prisoner releases last Thursday amid pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, who has claimed Washington is now “in charge” of Venezuela following Maduro’s removal and transfer to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.
Trump over the weekend praised the releases, saying he hoped those freed would remember “how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.”
