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Venezuela has begun releasing political prisoners, a move that could signal the country’s new leadership is responding to pressure from the United States amid broader negotiations over sanctions, oil sales, and detained foreign nationals.
The announcement was made Thursday by Jorge Rodríguez, the head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, who said the government was freeing an “important number” of prisoners as part of what he described as a unilateral effort to “maintain the peace,” NBC News reported.
Rodríguez did not specify how many prisoners would be released, nor did he provide a timeline or list of names.
Human rights groups estimate that Venezuela is holding between 800 and 900 political prisoners, most of whom were detained under former President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by U.S. forces on Saturday.
Diego Casanova, who works with families of political prisoners, said no official list of those selected for release had been provided.
Despite the lack of formal confirmation, reports and images began emerging throughout the day.
In a video shared by a Venezuelan journalist, opposition politician Enrique Márquez was seen being embraced on a street after his apparent release.
In a statement posted on X, Spanish officials said five Spanish nationals, including one dual citizen, were preparing to travel to Spain.
Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, told Spanish broadcaster RNE that the group includes Rocío San Miguel, a Venezuela-Spanish human rights lawyer who was detained in February 2024 at an airport near Caracas.
The other individuals were identified as Andrés Martínez, José María Basoa, Miguel Moreno and Ernesto Gorbe.
According to Spanish newspaper El País, Basoa and Martínez were arrested in 2024 after being accused by Venezuelan authorities of terrorism and acting as undercover agents for Spain, allegations Spanish officials denied. Their families said the men had entered Venezuela as tourists.
Gorbe, who had been living in Venezuela, was arrested in 2024 after authorities accused him of overstaying his visa. Moreno was detained in June while aboard a treasure-hunting vessel operating in waters claimed by Venezuela, the newspaper reported.
The White House said the releases reflect the impact of U.S. pressure.
“This is one example of how the President is using maximum leverage to do right by the American and Venezuelan people,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Families of political prisoners and opposition groups have continued to press both Venezuelan authorities and the U.S. government to secure additional releases.
Among them is María Constanza Cipriani, whose husband, Perkins Rocha, is a personal adviser to opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado.
Trump said Wednesday that Venezuela will purchase only American-made products using revenue from oil sales under the deal, CNBC reported.
“I have just been informed that Venezuela is going to be purchasing only American-made products, with the money they receive from our new oil deal,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The president said the purchases will include agricultural goods, medicine, medical devices and equipment to improve Venezuela’s electrical grid and energy infrastructure.
Trump said earlier this week that Venezuela would turn over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil to the United States following Maduro’s removal. The oil would be sold at market prices, a move that could generate more than $2 billion at Wednesday’s closing price.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that the United States will control Venezuela’s oil sales indefinitely.
“We’re going to market the crude coming out of Venezuela — first this backed up stored oil and then indefinitely, going forward,” Wright said at Goldman Sachs’ annual energy conference in Miami.
He said the funds from the sales will be deposited into U.S.-controlled accounts.
“We need to have that leverage and that control of those oil sales to drive the changes that simply must happen in Venezuela,” Wright said.
