2026 political prisoner release in Venezuela
In the aftermath of the 2026 United States strikes in Venezuela and capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, the remaining government in Venezuela, led by his vice president Delcy Rodríguez as acting president, announced the release of multiple Venezuelan and foreign political prisoners in Venezuela starting on 8 January. As of 8 March, 621 political prisoners have been confirmed to be released since its announcement, with over 500 remaining according to the NGO Foro Penal. The Rodríguez adminstration has published numbers but it has not given specific dates and sometimes counts releases of prior years. Estimates suggested there were over 800 political prisoners in Venezuela prior to 2026, according to human rights organizations. International bodies, including a United Nations Human Rights Council-mandated Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, stated that the measures fell short of Venezuela’s human rights obligations and called for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners. Those released are not completely free as they are not allowed to speak publicly and are required to appear before a judge every 30 days. Human rights organizations have qualified the releases as a revolving door effect as some prisoners are released, while others are still being arrested for political reasons.
The United States had previously requested the release of political prisoners, and President Donald Trump declared in an interview "they've been great ... Everything we've wanted, they've given us." Trump announced on 9 January that he had cancelled a second wave of attacks due to cooperation and the release of political prisoners. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has called for the immediate release of all political prisoners.
On 29 January, Delcy Rodríguez announced a general amnesty bill covering cases dating back to 1999, which was approved on 19 February by the National Assembly of Venezuela. According to the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, Jorge Rodríguez, Immediately after the implementation of the bill, 1557 prisoners requested their release. As of 24 February, 91 prisoners have been confirmed released under the amnisty law, according to Foro Penal. Delcy Rodríguez also announced the dismantling of the detention center known as El Helicoide, associated with allegations of torture, along with plans for its conversion into a sport and cultural center.
Various foreign citizens from Argentina, Colombia, Italy, Honduras, Israel, Spain, Portugal, Peru, and the United States previously detained in Venezuela have been released.
Protests, hunger strikes and vigils outside prisons have been held to request the release of their political prisoners.