The announcement contradicts claims by local human rights groups that fewer than 70 prisoners have been released in recent days.
Published January 14, 2026
A leading Venezuelan lawmaker says more than 400 people have been released from prison, contradicting claims by rights groups that only 60 to 70 people have been freed in recent days amid calls for the release of those imprisoned for political reasons.
National Assembly Speaker Jorge Rodríguez made the announcement in parliament on Tuesday.
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“The decision to release not political prisoners, but some politicians who have broken the law and violated the constitution, and some prisoners who have called for invasion, has been approved,” Rodriguez told parliament.
He said more than 400 prisoners had been released, but did not provide a specific timeline.
Rodriguez and President Donald Trump said a number of prisoners would be released as part of the peace deal following the Jan. 3 abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces.
The release of Venezuelan political prisoners has been a long-standing demand of human rights groups, international organizations and opposition groups.
Venezuela’s government has always denied detaining its citizens for political reasons and said it had already released most of the 2,000 people detained following protests over the disputed 2024 presidential election.
Human rights groups estimate there are between 800 and 1,200 political prisoners in Venezuela, and said the number of prisoners released since last week ranged from 60 to 70, blaming the slow pace of releases and lack of information.
At least one American was released from prison on Tuesday, Bloomberg News reported.
Venezuela’s Ministry of Prisons announced on Monday that at least 116 prisoners had been released.
US to take control of Venezuela’s oil resources
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Colina Machado is one of the main voices calling for the prisoners’ release, including some of her closest allies.
She is scheduled to meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The same day, Bloomberg News reported that Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, will send a special envoy to the US capital to meet with senior officials.
Meanwhile, the United States continues to control oil shipments within and outside Venezuela even after Maduro’s abduction.
The US government has applied for a court warrant to seize dozens more tanker ships linked to the Venezuelan oil trade, Reuters reports.
In recent weeks, the U.S. military and Coast Guard have already seized five vessels in international waters that are or have been transporting Venezuelan oil.
In December, President Trump imposed a naval blockade on Venezuela to prevent U.S.-licensed tankers from transporting Venezuelan crude oil, bringing the country’s oil exports to a near standstill.
Shipping has now resumed under the supervision of the United States, which the Trump administration says plans to maintain control of Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely.
