Venezuela said on Thursday it's releasing a "significant number" of citizens and foreign nationals from its prisons, in a decision described as a gesture to "seek peace" less than a week after former President Nicolas Maduro was captured by U.S. forces to face federal drug-trafficking charges in New York.
Jorge Rodriguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodriguez and head of the National Assembly, did not specify who they would be releasing or how many people would be released. But he said the release of prisoners "is happening right now."
The Spanish government announced on Thursday the release of five Spanish citizens in Caracas. While the embassy is coordinating their return to Spain, officials have not yet specified a departure date.
The Penal Forum, a human rights organization in Venezuela, said that as of Dec. 29, 2025, there were 863 people detained in Venezuela "for political reasons."
In a post on the social platform X, director of the forum, Alfredo Romero, said the liberations were "good news" in a country that's been wracked by political turmoil in recent days.
