The Speaker of the Venezuelan Parliament Jorge Rodriguez, who is the brother of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, said that in the next few hours a "significant number" of prisoners, including foreigners, will be released, world agencies reported, quoted by BTA.
Jorge Rodriguez said that this is an independent decision of Venezuela and a gesture of goodwill. However, he did not specify how many and which people will be released. "Consider this gesture by the Bolivarian government as broadly aimed at seeking peace," the Speaker of the Parliament said in a televised address.
"The Bolivarian government, together with state institutions, has decided to release a significant number of Venezuelans and foreign citizens. The release process is already underway," Jose Rodriguez told a news conference at the National Assembly.
The release of those considered political prisoners is a key demand of the Venezuelan opposition. Earlier this week, the movement of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, called on authorities in Caracas to release all political prisoners after the United States detained President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. According to a leading Venezuelan human rights organization, these prisoners number 863, Reuters notes.
This is the first release of prisoners since the Venezuelan president was detained.
The human rights organization "Foro Penal" (Foro Penal), which defends the cause of political prisoners in Venezuela, welcomed the "good news". The organization recently estimated the number of political prisoners in the country at 806, including 175 military personnel, notes Agence France-Presse.
"We know that people are regaining their freedom, including foreigners," wrote Alfredo Romero, a lawyer for "Foro Penal", which is working to establish the identities of those to be released.
Protests against the announcement of Nicolás Maduro's victory in the 2024 presidential election led to the arrest of 2,400 people. According to official figures, more than 2,000 of them were subsequently released. By the end of December last year, at least 99 more people were released, and on New Year's Day - another 87, notes AFP.
Among those released will be Spanish citizens, said Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez, quoted by Reuters. This would be a "very positive step" by the Venezuelan authorities, he stressed.