Venezuela has released “a number” of high-profile political prisoners, including several foreign nationals, in an apparent concession to the United States less than a week after Venezuelan forces abducted President Nicolás Maduro.
Thursday’s announcement is the first since Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, took over as interim leader and has the support of President Donald Trump, who has said he is happy to let her rule as long as she gives Washington access to the country’s oil.
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Among those released Thursday was Enrique Marquez, a former Venezuelan opposition candidate who opposed President Maduro in the disputed 2024 presidential election.
“It’s all over now,” Marquez said in a video of him and his wife filmed by a local journalist, accompanied by opposition lawmaker Biagio Pillieri, who was also released.
Delcy Rodríguez’s brother, Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly, said “a large number of Venezuelans and foreigners” would be released immediately in the interest of “peaceful coexistence.”
He did not say which prisoners would be released, how many or from where.
Venezuelan human rights NGO Foro Penal estimates that there are more than 800 political prisoners in the country’s prisons.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Colina Machado welcomed his release, saying in an audio message on social media: “Injustice does not last forever, and the truth hurts, but in the end it finds a way.”
According to Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the five Spaniards freed included prominent Spanish-Venezuelan activist Rocio San Miguel.
San Miguel has been imprisoned since February 2024 over a plot to assassinate President Maduro, which she denies.
The White House praised President Trump for ensuring the prisoners’ freedom.
“This is an example of the President using his full influence to do right by the United States and the Venezuelan people,” Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Caracas says President Maduro was captured in a special forces raid in early January that left 100 people dead in airstrikes and operations. The U.S. military took Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to New York to stand trial on drug charges.
President Trump said the United States would “operate” the Caribbean country during a transition period and exploit the country’s oil reserves for years.
President Trump announced earlier this week that the United States plans to sell 30 million to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan oil, with Caracas using the proceeds to buy American products. President Trump is scheduled to meet with oil company executives on Friday.
President Trump expanded on his threats against drug traffickers in a Fox News interview aired Thursday night, saying he would target cartels with ground attacks.
U.S. forces have already destroyed at least 31 ships and killed at least 107 people in maritime attacks in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean, which legal experts say violates international law and could amount to war crimes.
Trump also said he would meet Nobel laureate and opposition leader Machado in Washington next week.
President Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity: “I hear she’s going to be here sometime next week. I’m looking forward to saying hello to her.”
President Trump said last week that Machado does not have the respect or support within Venezuela to lead the country, and on Thursday he told Fox News that the South American country was not in a position to hold new elections.
“We have to rebuild our country. We couldn’t hold elections,” he said.
“They won’t even know how to vote now.”
Machado offered to share the Nobel Prize with Trump, but Trump said he deserved it.
On Thursday, President Trump said it was a “huge embarrassment” for Norway not to receive the award given by the Norwegian committee.
