Venezuela’s Government has announced the release of 131 political prisoners, a move welcomed by the United States as a significant step towards national reconciliation.
Communications Minister Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela announced the releases on Friday, saying the detainees would be freed under “alternative measures to imprisonment,” without providing further details. Such measures could include house arrest.
The announcement, made on X, is being seen as an early outcome of reconciliation talks between the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez and sections of the opposition.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the releases as a “crucial step” towards national reconciliation.
Rubio said that 1,046 Venezuelans had now been released from detention since January 3, when former President Nicolás Maduro was captured during a US military operation in Caracas.
However, opposition politician Dinorah Figuera said the latest announcement did not mean that all political prisoners had been released.
The human rights organisation Foro Penal estimated the number of political prisoners in Venezuela at 391 earlier this week.
Figuera, who leads the opposition delegation in talks with the government, had made the release of political prisoners a key demand during the negotiations.
