US behind release of Venezuelan opposition figures and activists, says Trump

Venezuela released a number of imprisoned high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalists — both citizens and foreigners — Thursday in what the Government described as a gesture to “seek peace” less than a week after former President Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces to face drug-trafficking charges. President Donald Trump, who has been pressuring Maduro allies now leading the country to fold to his vision for the future of the oil-rich nation, said the releases came at the request of the United States.

In the interview on Fox News on Thursday night, Trump praised the Government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, saying: “they’ve been great. ... Everything we’ve wanted, they’ve given us.” Jorge Rodríguez, brother of the acting president and head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, said a “significant number” of people would be freed, but as of late Thursday night it was still not clear who or how many people would be released.

The US Government and Venezuela’s opposition have long demanded the widespread release of imprisoned politicians, critics and members of civil society. The Venezuelan Government insists it doesn’t hold political prisoners.”Consider this a gesture by the Bolivarian (Venezuelan) government, which is broadly intended to seek peace,” he announced.

Among those released was Biaggio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign, according to Foro Penal, an advocacy group for prisoners based in Caracas. Also released was Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and candidate in the 2024 presidential election, the organisation said.

Videos posted by journalists on social media show Márquez and Pilieri embracing loved ones on the streets outside the prison. One video showed Márquez beaming and video-calling family members, saying, “Soon I will be with you all.”Five Spanish citizens — including the prominent Venezuelan-Spanish lawyer and human rights activist Rocío San Miguel — were also released in the afternoon and, as the night wore on, reports trickled out of more detainees walking free.

Relatives who were waiting for hours outside one of the prisons on the outskirts of Caracas briefly chanted, “Libertad! “Venezuela’s Government has a history of releasing people imprisoned for political reasons — including real and perceived opponents — during moments of high tension to signal openness to dialogue. Relatives of political prisoners gather outside the Rodeo I prison in Guatire, Venezuela.