{"id":608,"date":"2026-01-11T12:11:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:11:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=608"},"modified":"2026-01-11T12:11:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:11:58","slug":"venezuela-starts-releasing-prisoners-in-bid-to-ease-tensions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/?p=608","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela Starts Releasing Prisoners in Bid to Ease Tensions","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"
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Venezuela<\/a><\/strong> has begun freeing a small number of high-profile detainees, including opposition politicians, in what the government describes as a move to \u201cseek peace,\u201d less than a week after a US operation that captured President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

As of Friday afternoon, at least nine people had been released, according to the human rights group Penal Forum<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u2014a figure that represents just over one percent of the country\u2019s known political prisoners.<\/p>\n

Emotional scenes played out late Thursday as newly freed detainees reunited with family members. Videos shared online and verified by CNN Espa\u00f1ol<\/span><\/span><\/strong> showed tearful embraces following their release.<\/p>\n

Among those freed were Enrique M\u00e1rquez, a former presidential candidate, and Biagio Pilieri, a businessman and former lawmaker. Both had been held at El Helicoide, a notorious detention centre in Caracas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were taken out in vehicles and dropped off far from El Helicoide,\u201d a CNN Espa\u00f1ol reporter said.<\/p>\n

Relatives and supporters gathered at Plaza Altamira in Caracas\u2019s Chacao district, where M\u00e1rquez was seen smiling as he hugged loved ones upon arrival.<\/p>\n

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Government frames releases as unity move<\/strong><\/h4>\n

National Assembly President Jorge Rodr\u00edguez<\/span><\/span><\/strong> said the releases were already under way and would include both Venezuelan citizens and foreign nationals, though he did not specify numbers or names.<\/p>\n

Speaking on state broadcaster TeleSur<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, Rodr\u00edguez said the step was intended to promote \u201cnational unity.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement came days after the United States carried out a dramatic raid to capture Maduro and transfer him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. Since then, US officials have been working to shape a transitional political arrangement in Venezuela and have pressed for the release of political prisoners, according to a source familiar with briefings to US lawmakers.<\/p>\n

\"Venezuela<\/p>\n

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Foreign nationals among those freed<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Following Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s remarks, Spain\u2019s foreign ministry confirmed that five Spanish nationals\u2014one of whom holds dual citizenship\u2014had been released and were returning home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey will soon be reunited with their families,\u201d Spanish Foreign Minister Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares<\/span><\/span><\/strong> said in a post on X, adding that he had spoken directly with those freed.<\/p>\n

Madrid welcomed the decision as a constructive step during what it called a new phase for Venezuela.<\/p>\n

Days before Maduro\u2019s capture, a US official said Venezuelan authorities had detained at least five Americans in recent months, possibly as leverage. It remains unclear whether any of them are included in the current releases.<\/p>\n

Penal Forum director Alfredo Romero<\/span><\/span><\/strong> said the organisation was verifying each case as releases continued.<\/p>\n

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Opposition reaction and remaining detainees<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Opposition figure Juan Pablo Guanipa had not been freed as of Friday, though Romero said he expected his release. Guanipa, a former National Assembly member and close ally of opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, was detained in May 2025.<\/p>\n

At the time, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello alleged\u2014without providing evidence\u2014that Guanipa was involved in a plot against elections scheduled that month.<\/p>\n

The Committee for the Liberation of Political Prisoners in Venezuela<\/span><\/span><\/strong> (CLIPPVE) urged authorities to act quickly and transparently in releasing remaining detainees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is still a lack of clarity and excessive discretion in how these releases are handled, which deepens the anguish of families and prisoners,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n

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Longstanding concerns over repression<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Venezuela\u2019s opposition and foreign governments have long accused the Maduro administration of jailing political opponents. Caracas has repeatedly dismissed such claims as biased and politically motivated.<\/p>\n

After the disputed 2024 presidential election, which international observers criticised as undemocratic, more than 2,000 people were detained during a subsequent crackdown, according to Amnesty International.<\/p>\n

Penal Forum estimates that 863 political prisoners remained behind bars as of early January, many of them held at El Helicoide\u2014a structure originally intended as a shopping centre that now serves as the headquarters of Venezuela\u2019s intelligence services.<\/p>\n

A 2025 investigation by Human Rights Watch<\/span><\/span><\/strong> found that many political detainees were held incommunicado for extended periods and denied access to lawyers and relatives. HRW\u2019s Americas director, Juanita Goebertus<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, described the findings as evidence of severe repression.<\/p>\n

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Uncertainty after Maduro\u2019s removal<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Since Maduro\u2019s removal, fears have grown that interim leader Delcy Rodr\u00edguez<\/span><\/span><\/strong> could maintain or intensify such practices. Earlier this week, authorities issued a decree granting sweeping powers to the presidency and ordering security forces to arrest anyone suspected of supporting the US operation.<\/p>\n

Families of detainees reported that visitation rights were suspended and communication cut off following the decree.<\/p>\n

After news of the releases emerged, relatives gathered outside El Helicoide, hoping for updates. Atali Cabrejo, whose son is an opposition party coordinator, said officials offered no information.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we know is only what we\u2019ve seen in the media,\u201d she told Reuters.<\/p>\n

While the initial releases have been welcomed by families and foreign governments, rights groups say the scale and transparency of the process will determine whether the move marks a genuine shift\u2014or a symbolic gesture amid mounting international pressure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Venezuela has begun freeing a small number of high-profile detainees, including opposition politicians, in what the government describes as a move to \u201cseek peace,\u201d less than a week after a US operation that captured President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. As of Friday afternoon, at least nine people had been released, according to the human rights group Penal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[53],"class_list":["post-608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-venezuela"],"aioseo_notices":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=608"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":611,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608\/revisions\/611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ahwaz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}