Nahuel Gallo

In the aftermath of the 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela and capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, the remaining government in Venezuela, led by his vice president Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, announced the release of multiple Venezuelan and foreign political prisoners in Venezuela starting on 8 January. As of 20 February, 545 political prisoners have been confirmed to be released since its announcement, with over 600 remaining according to the NGO Foro Penal. The Rodríguez adminstration has published numbers but it has not given specific dates and sometimes counts releases of prior years. Estimates suggested there were over 800 political prisoners in Venezuela prior to 2026, according to human rights organizations. International bodies, including a United Nations Human Rights Council-mandated Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, stated that the measures fell short of Venezuela’s human rights obligations and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners. Those released are not completely free as they are not allowed to speak publicly and are required to appear before a judge every 30 days. Human rights organizations have qualified the releases as a revolving door effect as some prisoners are released, while others are still being arrested for political reasons.