At least 87 prisoners have been released as part of the president’s campaign to pressure Caracas, according to Donald Trump’s administration.
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Even as he has accused Trump of trying to overthrow his government and seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, some observers have interpreted Maduro’s decision as a diplomatic effort.
On Thursday, two human rights organizations confirmed the release, the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners and the Committee of Mothers in Defense of the Truth.
The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners wrote on social media that “mothers and relatives reported new releases of political prisoners from Tocoron prison in Aragua state” in northern Venezuela.
The government of Venezuela had previously announced the release of 99 of its prisoners on December 25 as a “concerned expression of the State’s commitment to peace, dialogue, and justice.”
However, a prominent Venezuelan rights organization, Foro Penal, claimed it was unable to verify the release of 61 prisoners at the time.
In the vote held in July 2024, Maduro claimed victory, claiming to have won a third six-year term. The opposition has claimed that Edmond Gonzalez won by a landslide despite widespread fraud, and independent experts later verified the results.
Maria Corina Machado, the opposition leader, was removed from the race and replaced by Gonzalez. After months of hiding, Machado recently emerged in Oslo, Norway.
At least 28 people died and thousands of people were injured as a result of the disputed vote’s widespread protests throughout the nation.
At least 2, 000 people have been freed since their release, according to official records, and more than 700 are still alleged to have been held for political reasons.
The Trump administration’s pressure on Maduro, who they have accused of running a drug trafficking operation that aims to destabilize the US, has been bolstered by the disputed election.
Since August, the Pentagon has increased military assets off Venezuela’s coast, with Trump revealing the first attack on Venezuelan soil against a dock that allegedly served to load drug boats earlier this week.
In what rights groups claim amounts to extrajudicial killings, the US has also blocked sanctioned oil tankers’ entry and exit into Venezuela while simultaneously launching strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.
In the current strikes, more than 100 people have died.
Machado has vehemently supported the US pressure campaign from exile. She has maintained that Venezuela has been “invaded” by “terrorist groups” and “drug cartels,” but has been more circumspect with her attacks on Venezuelan soil.
Source: Aljazeera
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