Venezuela releases more prisoners amid US pressure campaign: Rights groups

Second release of prisoners related to 2024 election protests seen as possible conciliatory move from Maduro.Published On 1 Jan 2026The government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has released dozens of prisoners held for protesting his disputed victory in the country’s 2024 election.The release of at least 87 prisoners comes as the administration of United States President Donald Trump has continued its pressure campaign against Caracas.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Russia may gain more than lose from a US intervention in Venezuelalist 2 of 32025: Trump’s year of ’emergency’, ‘invasion’ and ‘narcoterrorism’list 3 of 3Trump bombs Venezuelan land for first time: Is war imminent?end of listIt was the second release within a week, in what some observers have viewed as an effort by Maduro to strike a more conciliatory tone, even as he has accused Trump of seeking to topple his government and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.Two rights groups, the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners and the Committee of Mothers in Defense of the Truth, confirmed the release on Thursday.“On the morning of January 1, mothers and relatives reported new releases of political prisoners from Tocoron prison in Aragua state” in northern Venezuela, the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners wrote on social media.Venezuela’s government had previously announced the release of 99 prisoners on December 25, calling it “a concrete expression of the State’s commitment to peace, dialogue and justice”.However, Foro Penal, a leading Venezuelan rights group, said afterwards it was only able to verify the release of 61 prisoners at the time.Maduro claimed victory in the July 2024 vote, maintaining he had secured a third six-year term. The opposition has alleged widespread fraud, publishing results later verified by independent experts showing that Edmond Gonzalez had won by a landslide.