Following the recent and unprecedented detention of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores on January 3rd, Venezuela has begun a series of surprising shifts in policy.As international observers scrutinize the evolving political landscape, authorities announced the release of over 400 prisoners in recent weeks, signaling a potential, though cautiously received, gesture toward de-escalation.This move, and the contentious reporting surrounding the number of those freed, raises questions about the Maduro regime’s commitment to broader political reforms and its response to mounting internal and external pressure.
Venezuelan authorities say they have released over 400 prisoners in recent weeks, a move seen as a potential gesture toward de-escalation following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores earlier this month. The releases come amid ongoing scrutiny of the Maduro regime and its commitment to political reform.
National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced Tuesday that more than 400 individuals have been freed, with 160 of those releases occurring since December 2024. He later clarified that the December figure referred to the previous year, attributing the initial statement to a lapse in memory. The majority of the releases, however, have taken place in the last few days as part of what Rodríguez described last Thursday as a “unilateral gesture of peace.”
The move follows the detention of Maduro and Flores on January 3, after which the government began signaling a willingness to engage in limited openings. These actions have exceeded the expectations of families with loved ones imprisoned for political reasons, but have also sparked confusion and criticism from opposition groups.
Figures regarding the number of released prisoners remain a point of contention. Rodríguez responded to a request from Deputy Luis Florido for a faster pace of releases by stating that organizations like Foro Penal, which monitors political imprisonment in Venezuela, report significantly lower numbers than official counts. He accused Foro Penal of charging fees for securing releases, calling their work “trash” and a cynical exploitation of vulnerable individuals. Foro Penal responded on social media, stating that its legal assistance is “FREE throughout Venezuela.”
Sources familiar with the process say discrepancies in the numbers and delays in implementation are due to the complex bureaucratic procedures required for prisoner releases, which involve coordination between judges, prosecutors, and prison officials. Rodríguez offered to provide Florido, a relative, with a list of those released for personal review, but that document has not been made public.
Rodríguez also emphasized the need for reconciliation, stating, “If we are going to promote peaceful coexistence, we must rectify. We must seek mechanisms where there is parsimony, encounter, and a little less arrogance, but you have to lower the pettiness, deputy.”
If Rodríguez’s figures dating back to December are accurate, they would include the 187 releases announced by the Venezuelan government around Christmas and New Year’s, which were not fully carried out at the time. This would be in addition to the 116 releases officially reported Monday.
Opposition leaders in exile, María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, denounced irregularities in the release process hours before Rodríguez’s announcement, warning that political prisoners “continue to be subject to abusive precautionary measures.” They also asserted that the government is failing to meet its own commitments, stating, “The figure of 116 released prisoners, disseminated by the regime on Monday, January 12, does not correspond to reality.” The opposition’s concerns underscore the challenges in verifying the extent and sincerity of the government’s actions.
