Venezuela has freed a wave of political prisoners in the early hours of Saturday, following a meeting between former president Delcy Rodríguez and U.S. President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Human rights organisations report that the releases include veteran opposition activist Wilder Vasquez, who was jailed in 2018 on allegations of plotting to kill then‑President Nicolás Maduro. Other names cited include Miguel Castillo Cedeño, who had been reportedly held arbitrarily since June 2019, and Frank Cabañas, a nine‑year‑detained inmate linked to a police officer’s death that his family says was politically motivated.
The move comes after Rodríguez’s interim government began a programme of inmate releases in the wake of Maduro’s seizure of power in 2024. That initiative slowed in April when Rodríguez announced it was “coming to an end,” yet the latest batch of detentions suggests the policy is still underway, albeit at a reduced pace.
Opposition leaders and rights groups view the releases as a symbolic concession that could pave the way for genuine, free elections – a demand that has grown after the U.S. removed sanctions on the interim government and publicly endorsed Rodríguez in place of opposition figure María Corina Machado.
The Venezuelan government continues to portray the clemency as part of a broader reconciliation effort, denying that dissenters are “jailbirds.” Critics argue that the shift is largely cosmetic, stating that less than half of the country’s political prisoners have ever been freed under the current regime.
Despite the cautious tone of the government, the releases have sparked renewed hope among protesters in Caracas, where citizens are chanting for a return to democratic processes and a swift national election that respects legitimate vote counts.
