Venezuela frees 39 political prisoners after post-Maduro talks

More than three dozen political prisoners have been released in Venezuela following a second round of talks backed by Washington between the country’s interim government and the opposition.

Human rights group Justicia, Encuentro y Perdon (JEP) said 39 political dissidents were freed between Friday and Saturday from various prisons, including eight women accused of “narco-terrorism” in 2021 and six people accused of working with the United States in a 2020 attempt to overthrow former President Nicolas Maduro.

“We will remain vigilant and continue to demand full freedom for all those who are still waiting,” JEP said in a statement on X.

The releases followed a second round of negotiations on Friday between the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s former vice president, and the opposition, held with US approval since Washington’s military removal of Maduro in January.

A first round of talks in August focused on retrieving Venezuelan funds frozen overseas to help recovery from June’s earthquakes, which killed more than 6,300 people, and on reforming the judiciary.

Rodriguez enacted an amnesty law in February under US pressure, though the pace of releases has been slow.

Foro Penal, a rights group that tracks political detentions, said 344 people remained classified as political prisoners as of September 18, down from 391 on August 10, when the government said it had freed 131 people under a separate “alternative measures” programme.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time that more than 1,000 Venezuelans had been released since Maduro’s removal, calling it “a crucial step” for the country’s reconciliation.

Families of political prisoners have staged ongoing protests outside the US embassy in Caracas and the El Rodeo I prison, which rights groups consider a torture centre.