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The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, stated this Wednesday that the process of releasing political prisoners "remains open" and that there have already been 406 releases “planned for these days”, almost a week after her brother, the Parliament President Jorge Rodríguez, announced the release of “a significant number of individuals” from prison.
Rodríguez spoke from the Palacio de Miraflores in Caracas, stating that the process "has not yet concluded."
According to his account, the releases began in December, when —he claimed— 194 individuals were freed, and since then the process has continued until reaching the total announced this Wednesday.
Accompanied by Jorge Rodríguez and the Minister of Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, Delcy indicated that the process excludes individuals accused of homicide and drug trafficking, and that crimes related to constitutional order, hate, violence, and intolerance are being "assessed."
He said that the goal is to "open political spaces" and convey the message of "a Venezuela that is entering a new political moment" that allows for understanding "from divergence" and "political and ideological diversity."
The acting president described the procedure as a "strenuous process" that, she stated, is led by Cabello in ongoing coordination with justice organizations.
However, an EFE report indicates that the figures do not match the independent counts available. The NGO Foro Penal, which on Sunday reported counting over 800 political prisoners, recorded 72 releases from Thursday until 1:50 PM local time this Wednesday.
On that same day, it was also reported the release of more than a dozen journalists, according to press organizations.
These releases are set against the political backdrop following the attacks by the United States on Venezuelan soil, during which Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured, just days before Delcy Rodríguez announced the progress of the process.
Also this Wednesday, the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) of Venezuela confirmed on social media the release of at least 14 journalists who were held in various prisons in Venezuela.
Among those released mentioned by the SNTP are journalist Roland Carreño, the director of Punto de Corte Nicmer Evans, reporter Carlos Julio Rojas, as well as Ramón Centeno, Carlos Marcano, Víctor Ugas, Leandro Palmar, and camera assistant Belises Cubillán, according to information gathered by family members and human rights organizations that have been monitoring the process.
Carreño was imprisoned from August 2, 2024, for one year, five months, and 12 days; Carlos Julio Rojas remained detained from April 15, 2024, for one year, eight months, and 20 days; and Nicmer Evans spent one month and one day incarcerated in El Helicoide, according to the SNTP.
Julio Balza was also released (detained for one year and five days, according to his father), journalist Nakary Ramos Mena, her husband, and camera assistant Gianni González (detained since April 8, 2025, for nine months and six days), in addition to Gabriel González, a member of the press team of Vente Venezuela, who was freed after one year, six months, and 28 days of detention since June 27, 2024.
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