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Venezuelan authorities have released a new group of political prisoners, according to human rights organizations, just days after the country's interim leader held face-to-face talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in New York. The releases, confirmed by the rights group Foro Penal, mark one of the most significant prisoner actions in months and have reignited demands from opposition figures for free and fair elections.
Among those freed in the early hours of Saturday morning was Wilder Vasquez, who had been serving a five-year sentence handed down in 2018. He was convicted over allegations that he was involved in a plot to assassinate former President Nicolás Maduro. His release, along with those of other detainees, was confirmed by multiple rights monitors who had tracked their cases for years.
Foro Penal, a prominent Venezuelan human rights organization, said a "significant number" of political prisoners had been let out from several detention centres across the country on Saturday. The group's vice-president, Gonzalo Himiob, confirmed the releases but did not provide an exact figure. The organization also verified the release of Miguel Castillo Cedeño, who it said had been arbitrarily detained since June 2019, and Frank Cabañas, who had spent nine years behind bars after being linked to the death of a police officer.
According to Foro Penal, Cabañas was the only remaining suspect in that case, despite his family having reported that he was suffering from health problems last year. His prolonged detention had been criticized by rights advocates as an example of how Venezuela's justice system was used to punish perceived opponents of the government. The release of such long-held prisoners suggests a possible shift in policy, though officials have not explained the reasoning behind the move.
The Venezuelan government has not issued any statement about the latest releases and has not indicated whether they resulted from interim President Delcy Rodríguez's conversation with Trump. The two leaders met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, a encounter that was closely watched both domestically and internationally. Rodríguez's administration had previously freed hundreds of prisoners as part of what it described as a reconciliation effort following Maduro's seizure earlier this year.
However, the pace of releases slowed dramatically in April after Rodríguez declared that the scheme was "coming to an end." That decision drew sharp criticism from opposition parties and human rights groups, who argued that less than half of the country's political prisoners had been freed before the program was halted. Foro Penal at the time accused the government of abandoning detainees who had been held for years without fair trials.
Rodríguez has sought to portray her interim government as more tolerant of political dissent while simultaneously building favour with Washington. The prisoner release scheme was a key concession her administration made to the United States. Her government continues to deny that dissidents are jailed, instead framing the releases as a gesture of goodwill and national reconciliation. Critics say that characterization ignores the reality of a system that has long used detention to silence critics and stamp out opposition.
Opposition figures and human rights advocates have renewed their calls for free elections following Rodríguez's meeting with Trump. The encounter was seen by many in the opposition as a snub of their demands, which the U.S. has previously endorsed, for swift and transparent elections. Pedro Mario Burelli, a former executive of Venezuela's state oil company and an opposition commentator, sharply criticized the two leaders, calling them "the shameless puppet and her unscrupulous and undignified puppet-master." He added that "little has changed in Venezuela under Washington's clumsy and selective oversight."
Venezuela's last elections, held in 2024, were widely disputed as rigged. Maduro was declared the winner, but opposition tallies suggested their candidate—who stood after opposition leader María Corina Machado was barred from running—had won by around 70% of the vote. The result was rejected by numerous countries and international observers, deepening the legitimacy crisis that has gripped the country for years. The dispute over that election remains a central grievance for the opposition.
Despite that history, the Trump administration backed Rodríguez, Maduro's former vice-president, as his successor rather than Machado after Maduro was seized and put on trial on drug charges in January. Analysts at the time described the decision as the U.S. prioritizing short-term stability in Venezuela until elections could be held. That approach has been criticized by those who argue it rewards the very power structure that enabled Maduro's authoritarian rule and delays the restoration of democratic governance.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a figure closely associated with Maduro's authoritarian rule, called Rodríguez's meeting with Trump "a great triumph of the diplomacy of peace." His comment underscored the awkward dynamic in which former loyalists of the ousted president have retained power under the interim government. The continuing influence of such figures has fuelled skepticism about the interim administration's commitment to genuine political reform.
Rodríguez used her speech at the UN General Assembly on Thursday to reiterate that there "will be elections in Venezuela," but she did not specify when they would take place. The lack of a timetable has frustrated opposition leaders and international observers who say that without a clear schedule, the promise of elections remains empty. The prisoner releases, while welcomed, have not eased those concerns.
Human rights groups have documented that Maduro's government used the detention of political prisoners for years to suppress dissent and silence critics. The release scheme was seen as a crucial concession to the U.S. and a test of the interim government's willingness to break with the past. Its partial suspension in April raised doubts about how far Rodríguez is prepared to go, and the latest releases appear aimed at reviving that goodwill without addressing the broader system of political detention.
For the families of those still behind bars, the weekend releases brought a measure of hope but also renewed anguish over those left behind. Foro Penal has said that many political prisoners remain in detention, and the group continues to call for their release. The opposition says the only durable solution is a swift transition to free elections, a demand that has grown louder since Rodríguez's meeting with Trump in New York.
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