By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Venezuelan authorities have started freeing detainees considered political prisoners by human rights groups, in what officials described as a goodwill gesture, a move that comes after the Saturday capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the US government.
The ousted leader is now facing trial in connection with drug trafficking charges in New York.
Spain’s foreign ministry said five of its nationals had been released, among who is prominent Venezuelan-Spanish rights activist, Rocío San Miguel, her family confirmed to US media.
US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that the release of political prisoners, which has been a long-held US demand was “a very important and smart gesture” from Venezuela.
Trump added that Venezuela released the prisoners as a sign of “seeking peace” and as a result, he had cancelled a “previously expected second wave of attacks” on the country.
Jorge Rodríguez, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly and the brother of its interim president Delcy Rodríguez, announced on state television that “a significant number” would be released immediately, without specifying the number or identity of prisoners being freed.
Hundreds of political prisoners are detained in Venezuelan prisons, with only a handful thought to have been released so far.
Jorge Rodríguez said the interim government was releasing them in the interest of “national unity and peaceful coexistence”.
Rocío San Miguel, a vocal critic of Maduro and a defence expert, was the first prisoner confirmed to be freed. Her family told the New York Times that she was taken to the Spanish embassy in Caracas.
Arrested in 2024, she was accused of being involved in a plot to kill the then-president and faced charges of treason, conspiracy and terrorism. Her arrest shocked human rights activists and, because her whereabouts were unknown, was labelled as potential “enforced disappearance” by the UN Human Rights Office.
Venezuelan human rights organisations – some of which have members or their founders in jail – welcomed the news with caution.
Despite being a key lieutenant of Maduro, Delcy Rodríguez’s interim administration has appeared willing to co-operate with the US since it took its leader and made sweeping declarations about the South American nation’s future.
About 50 to 80 prisoners are believed to be held at the notorious El Helicoide prison, which US President Donald Trump announced would be closed following Maduro’s capture.
