Rebels claim the release was triggered by a “political chess move” after the US abduction of Venezuelan Nicolas Maduro.
Published January 10, 2026
Nicaragua’s left-wing government has announced the release of dozens of prisoners following pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump.
“Dozens of people who were in the national prison have returned to their families,” President Daniel Ortega’s government said in a statement Saturday.
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The statement did not say exactly how many people had been released or whether they had been detained for political reasons.
Although the government described the move as a gesture to commemorate Ortega’s 19 years of rule, Nicaragua has come under considerable pressure from the United States over its human rights record and years of crackdowns on opposition leaders and activists.
Saturday’s release of prisoners reflects the growing pressure facing left-wing governments in Latin America to appease demands from the Trump administration, which is seeking to exert greater control across the Americas region.
Tensions have been high since U.S. forces attacked Venezuela on January 3 and abducted President Nicolas Maduro, who is facing U.S. charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking, which Maduro denies.
On Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua praised the opposition figure’s announcement. He gave a speech in Venezuela following the ouster of President Maduro, calling on the Ortega government to follow suit.
“More than 60 people remain unjustly detained or missing in Nicaragua, including pastors, religious workers, the sick and the elderly. Peace can only be achieved with freedom!” the embassy posted on social media.
A human rights NGO tracking political prisoners in Nicaragua identified 19 people who were released on Saturday, Reuters reported.
Opposition leader and former prisoner Ana Margarita Vigil told Reuters she did not know the exact number of people released, but said the group included former mayor Oscar Gadea and evangelical pastor Rudi Palacios.
Palacios was detained in July after criticizing the Nicaraguan government for human rights abuses. He also supported protesters who took to the streets in 2018 to demand Ortega’s ouster.
Ortega responded to the protests with a crackdown that left at least 350 people dead and hundreds detained.
Liberales Nicaragua, a rebel coalition, praised Saturday’s release of prisoners.
In a statement, they said there was “no doubt” that the incident was the result of “political pressure by the U.S. government against the dictatorship” and “political chess moves stemming from events in Venezuela.”
