Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced Wednesday that her government will continue releasing prisoners held under the rule of former President Nicolás Maduro, in an initiative she touted as a “new political moment,” according to The Associated Press.
Her comments came just days after the interim government released at least four U.S. citizens held in Venezuela, marking the first known release of U.S. prisoners since Maduro was ousted in a U.S. military operation earlier this month.
During her first press conference since becoming acting leader, Rodríguez reportedly told journalists in Caracas that the process of releasing detainees “has not yet been completed,” stressing that efforts to free those detained under Maduro’s rule continue.
Rodriguez went on to promote a “Venezuela that opens itself to a new political moment, one that allows for political and ideological diversity,” the AP reported.
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Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media in Caracas, Venezuela, March 10, 2025. (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)
The newspaper added that 800 prisoners, including political leaders, soldiers and lawyers, may still be held, citing Venezuelan human rights group Foro Penal.
Rodriguez also claimed her government had already released 212 prisoners, but human rights groups have estimated lower figures, the AP added.
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Nicolás Maduro, center, January 23, 2019, in Caracas, Venezuela. (Edilzon Gamez/Getty Images)
The Maduro ally stressed that the release of prisoners does not represent a break with the past and is not the direct result of American pressure, but she attributed the effort to the deposed president, the AP reported. She said Maduro oversaw the release of 194 prisoners in December, noting he did so because he was “thinking precisely about opening space for understanding, for coexistence and for tolerance,” the newspaper said.
While Rodríguez did not provide a detailed framework for determining who will be released, she said decisions will be guided by a review of “crimes related to the constitutional order,” warning that “messages of hatred, intolerance and acts of violence will not be allowed.”
The actual coordination of these releases will be handled by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event in Rochester, NH, January 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
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President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he recently had a “great conversation” with Rodríguez, the first since Maduro was captured and flown to the US to face drug trafficking charges.
“We had a phone call, a long conversation. We discussed a lot of things,” Trump said. “And I think we get along very well with Venezuela.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
