Riot police arrive to El Helicoide, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 8, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. ARIANA CUBILLOS / AP
Venezuela on Thursday, January 8, announced the release of a "large number" of prisoners, some of them foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Maduro. The releases are the first since Maduro's former deputy Delcy Rodriguez became interim leader with the backing of President Donald Trump, who said he was content to let her govern as long as Caracas gives Washington access to its plentiful oil.
The prisoner releases were announced by Rodriguez's brother, parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez, a key figure in Chavismo, the anti-US socialist movement founded by Maduro's predecessor, Hugo Chavez. Rodriguez said "a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals" were being immediately freed for the sake of "peaceful coexistence." He did not say which prisoners would be released, nor how many.
Subscribers only
'The raw and brutal display of American power in the Trump II era is finally opening the eyes of Washington's allies'
