Thirty-nine political prisoners in Venezuela have been released from prison following new talks between the country's interim government and opposition leaders. Human rights group Justicia, Encuentro y Perdon (JEP) reported that the prisoners were freed between Friday and Saturday. The released group included 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.
The releases followed a second round of negotiations between interim President Delcy Rodriguez and the opposition. The talks took place with US approval after US forces removed Maduro from power in January. Earlier negotiations in August focused on recovering Venezuelan funds frozen overseas to help recovery efforts from major earthquakes in June that killed more than 6,300 people.
Although President Rodriguez passed an amnesty law in February under US pressure, human rights groups say the pace of releases remains slow. Rights group Foro Penal reported that 344 people were still classified as political prisoners as of September 18. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that more than 1,000 Venezuelans have been freed since Maduro was removed from office.
Families of political prisoners continue to hold protests outside the US embassy in Caracas and near the El Rodeo I prison to demand the release of their loved ones. Human rights activists emphasized that they will remain vigilant and keep demanding full freedom for all political detainees still waiting in prison.