Venezuela releases imprisoned political figures in Trump-approved move

Former Venezuelan opposition candidate Enrique Marquez is among ‘large number’ of prisoners released.Relatives of detainee Yosnars Baduel embrace outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela on January 8, 2026 [Matias Delacroix/AP Photo]Published On 9 Jan 2026Venezuela has released a “large number” of high-profile political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States less than a week after its forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.The releases on Thursday were the first since Maduro’s former deputy Delcy Rodriguez took office as interim leader, with the backing of US President Donald Trump, who says he is content to let her govern as long as she gives Washington access to the country’s oil.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What resources does Venezuela have — apart from the world’s most oil?list 2 of 3‘Only time will tell’: Trump says US role in Venezuela could last for yearslist 3 of 3Is the US unlocking Venezuela’s oil wealth or exploiting it?end of listFormer Venezuelan opposition candidate Enrique Marquez – who opposed Maduro in the contested 2024 presidential election – was among those released on Thursday.“It’s all over now,” Marquez said in a video filmed by a local journalist of him and his wife, accompanied by another released opposition member, Biagio Pilieri.Delcy Rodriguez’s brother, parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez, said “a large number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals” were being immediately freed for the sake of “peaceful coexistence”.He did not say which prisoners would be released, nor how many or from where.Venezuelan rights NGO Foro Penal estimates more than 800 political prisoners are in the country’s jails.Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado hailed the releases, saying in an audio message on social media: “Injustice will not last forever and … truth, although it be wounded, ends up finding its way.”Renowned Spanish-Venezuelan activist Rocio San Miguel was among five Spanish citizens freed, according to Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.San Miguel has been imprisoned since February 2024 over a purported plot to assassinate Maduro, which she denied.The White House credited Trump with securing the prisoners’ freedom.“This is one example of how the president is using maximum leverage to do right by the American and Venezuelan people,” Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement.Maduro was seized in a special forces raid in early January, with air strikes and operations that killed 100 people, according to Caracas. US forces took Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to New York to face trial on drug charges.Trump has said the US would “run” the Caribbean country for a transitional period and tap into its oil reserves for years.Trump announced a plan earlier this week for the US to sell between 30 million and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, with Caracas then using the money to buy US-made products. Trump is scheduled to meet oil executives on Friday.Trump broadened his threat to drug traffickers in a Fox News interview that aired on Thursday night, saying he would target cartels in land strikes.The US military has already destroyed at least 31 vessels in maritime attacks in the Eastern Pacific and the Caribbean, killing at least 107 people, in attacks that legal experts have said flout international law and could amount to war crimes.Trump also said he would meet Nobel Prize-winning opposition leader Machado in Washington next week.“I understand she’s coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity.Trump said last week that Machado does not have the respect or support within Venezuela to lead the country, and he told Fox News on Thursday that the South American country was not in a position to hold new elections.“We have to rebuild the country. They couldn’t have an election,” he said.“They wouldn’t even know how to have an election right now.”Machado has offered to share her Nobel Prize with Trump, who has said he deserved the award.On Thursday, Trump said it was a “major embarrassment” for Norway that he did not win the prize, which is awarded by a Norwegian committee.