Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, has said more than 600 inmates have been released from detention since December as part of a broader pledge to free people held under the previous government. Her announcement on Friday came amid mounting frustration from families and rights organisations, who say far fewer political prisoners have actually regained their freedom.
Rodríguez, who assumed leadership after the ousting of socialist leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month, has repeatedly defended the release process, describing it as part of a “new political moment” and inviting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to help verify the figures. She dismissed lower estimates issued by non-governmental monitors as inaccurate.
However, local rights group Foro Penal — which tracks politically motivated detentions — has counted only a small number of confirmed political prisoner releases and says hundreds of others remain behind bars. According to recent reporting, rights advocates estimate that around 775 to 800 people still detained on political grounds have not been freed, highlighting a gap between government claims and independent verification.
The slow pace of releases has tested families’ patience. Outside the former intelligence complex known as El Helicoide in central Caracas — a site long associated with political imprisonment — relatives of detainees have camped for weeks in the hope of seeing loved ones freed. Some families, echoing accounts from human rights observers, say they have waited days without credible information about the status of those detained.
Among those still in detention are critics of the Maduro era, activists, journalists and supporters of opposition movements. Some families have expressed profound distress, saying their relatives have been held for years without clear charges or transparent judicial proceedings. One woman told reporters her husband had missed crucial family moments, including time with their young child, as she continued to wait for news of his release.
Rodríguez’s government has also been navigating international scrutiny. The United Nations’ Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela has welcomed the release of some detainees but noted that the numbers fall well short of Venezuela’s obligations under international human rights standards. The mission has called for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals arbitrarily detained, emphasising that there must be transparency from authorities about the criteria and timelines for further releases.
The issue of prisoner releases has become intertwined with broader political and diplomatic developments following the US-led operation that deposed Maduro. Washington has welcomed the moves as a sign of change and pressed for continued actions to address human rights concerns. Meanwhile, Venezuelan society remains deeply divided, with government supporters and opposition backers holding competing demonstrations and vigils that reflect the country’s ongoing tensions.
