Venezuela to release a 'significant number' of prisoners as gesture to 'seek peace'

Venezuela will release a "significant number" of citizens and foreigners from its prisons in a decision that the head of the country's legislature described Thursday as a gesture to "seek peace" less than a week after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces to face federal drug-trafficking charges in New York.

Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez and head of the National Assembly, did not specify who they would be releasing or how many people would be released.

The Penal Forum, a human rights organisation in Venezuela, said that as of December 29, 2025, there were 863 people detained in Venezuela "for political reasons." "We will be verifying each release. We already know of some people on their way to freedom, including foreigners," wrote Alfredo Romero, director of the Forum, in a post on X.

The release of opposition figures and critics has been a longtime demand by Venezuela's opposition and the United States government.

Despite mass detentions following the tumultuous 2024 election, Venezuela's government denies that there are "political prisoners" and accuse those detained of plotting to destabilise Maduro's government.

"Consider this a gesture by the Bolivarian government, which is broadly intended to seek peace," Rodríguez said in an announcement publicized over TV.

Little movement was immediately seen outside one of Venezuela's most notable prisons, where a number of the detainees are held.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration sought to assert its control over Venezuelan oil, seizing a pair of sanctioned tankers transporting petroleum and announcing plans to relax some sanctions so the US can oversee the sale of Venezuela's petroleum worldwide.

Both moves reflect the administration's determination to make good on its effort to control the next steps in Venezuela through its vast oil resources after President Donald Trump pledged after the capture of Maduro that the US will "run" the country.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)