Releases announced by human rights groups

A new wave of releases of political prisoners in Venezuela was reported. Human rights groups said a significant number of people were freed in the early hours of Saturday from different detention and prison facilities across the country. The government in Caracas has not yet issued an official statement on the latest releases.

Names confirmed by Foro Penal included Wilder Vasquez, who was sentenced to five years in prison in 2018 for allegedly plotting to assassinate former President Nicolás Maduro. The group also said Miguel Castillo Cedeño, whom it said had been arbitrarily detained since June 2019, was among those released.

Frank Cabañas was also freed. Rights groups said Cabañas had been held in prison for nine years after being linked to the death of a police officer, that he was the only suspect still in custody in the case, and that family members had previously said he had health problems.

  • Wilder Vasquez had been convicted in the 2018 case.
  • Miguel Castillo Cedeño had been said to be held arbitrarily since 2019.
  • Long detention and health problems in Frank Cabañas’s case had been a source of dispute.

Releases came after Trump-Rodríguez meeting

The latest releases came days after a meeting between acting President Delcy Rodríguez and Donald Trump on Tuesday during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Opposition circles renewed their calls for free and fair elections in the country after the talks.

The Venezuelan government gave no indication of whether the releases were the result of the meeting with Trump. In her speech to the UN General Assembly, Rodríguez repeated that elections would be held in Venezuela, but did not give a date.

Earlier amnesty process had slowed

The Rodríguez administration had previously freed hundreds of detainees as part of a reconciliation process launched after Maduro was pushed from power. But the process slowed noticeably after Rodríguez said in April that the program was nearing its end. Foro Penal argues that fewer than half of the country's political prisoners were released under that mechanism.

The 2024 election in Venezuela also remains controversial. Official results declared Maduro the winner, but according to opposition tallies, the opposition candidate who ran after María Corina Machado was blocked from standing won 70% of the vote. Even so, the Trump administration backed Rodríguez rather than opposition leader Machado in January after Maduro was captured and prosecuted on drug charges.