By Blessing Nweke

Venezuela’s leading prisoner rights organisation reported Monday that dozens of political detainees were freed over the weekend, part of a broader release process under acting President Delcy Rodríguez that has unfolded since early January as the United States increases diplomatic pressure following the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro.

According to Foro Penal, a Caracas-based human rights NGO, at least 266 political prisoners have been released since Jan. 8, when the interim government promised a “significant” number of releases to foster national reconciliation. At least 100 of those freed were released over the last two days alone, the organisation said, with the actual tally expected to rise as verifications continue.

Among those released were a human rights lawyer and a journalism student, both of whom had been jailed on politically charged accusations, rights groups said. Families and supporters gathered outside prisons to welcome freed detainees and pressed for continued releases.

Despite these developments, hundreds of dissidents remain in detention. Foro Penal and other advocacy groups estimate that roughly 700–800 political prisoners are still behind bars, a figure far higher than government assertions. The interim administration maintains it has liberated more than 600 detainees since late last year, but rights groups dispute those numbers and have called for transparent, publicly verified release lists.

Acting President Rodríguez has said she will invite the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to review the lists of released prisoners, even as Venezuelan officials insist there are no “political prisoners,” only individuals charged with criminal acts.

The slow pace of the process and discrepancies in figures have drawn criticism from families and activists, who continue to demand the unconditional freedom of all those detained for their political beliefs or expressions.