Venezuela prisoner release slowdown amid US

Dozens of political prisoners were released in Venezuela on Saturday, according to human rights groups. The move comes amid a slowdown in a government amnesty scheme and follows a high-level diplomatic meeting between interim President Delcy Rodriguez and US President Donald Trump at the UN General Assembly.

Human rights organization Foro Penal confirmed the releases, which included several high-profile detainees. Gonzalo Himiob, Vice-President of Foro Penal, stated that a significant number of political prisoners were released from several detention centres. Among those freed were Miguel Castillo Cedeño, who was arbitrarily detained since June 2019, and Frank Cabañas, who spent nine years in prison for his alleged involvement in the death of a police officer. Wilder Vasquez was also released after being sentenced to five years in prison in 2018 for allegedly plotting to kill Nicolás Maduro.

Foro Penal noted that Cabañas was the only suspect remaining detained in his case despite health problems. The Venezuelan government has not commented on the releases or confirmed they followed Rodríguez's meeting with Trump. Opposition and human rights groups have long said Maduro's government uses the detention of political prisoners to suppress dissent, while Rodriguez's government has denied that dissidents are jailed and framed prisoner releases as a gesture of goodwill.

Release process stalls amid diplomatic shift

The prisoner release scheme has slowed dramatically since April, when officials claimed it was ending. The government previously released hundreds of prisoners as part of a reconciliation effort after Maduro's seizure, but the process slowed to a trickle in April when Rodríguez said it was 'coming to an end'. Foro Penal said the release scheme was stopped with less than half of the nation's political prisoners released.

Analysts link the pause to shifting US diplomatic priorities. The Trump administration backed Rodriguez as Maduro's successor rather than opposition leader María Corina Machado after Maduro was seized and put on trial on drug charges in January. Analysts said the US decision to back Rodriguez was for short-term stability until elections could be held.

UN meeting fuels election demands

Rodríguez's meeting with Trump at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday intensified opposition demands for prompt elections. Rodríguez stated at the gathering that 'there will be elections in Venezuela' but did not specify a date. Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called Rodriguez's meeting with Trump a great triumph of the diplomacy of peace.

Opposition figures renewed calls for free elections after the meeting, criticizing the talks for ignoring previous U.S.-backed calls for swift elections. Venezuela's last elections in 2024 were widely disputed as rigged, with opposition tallies indicating the barred candidate won about 70% of the vote. Opposition voices criticized the meeting as a snub to their calls for swift elections.

Former state oil company executive and opposition commentator Pedro Mario Burelli called Trump and Rodriguez the shameless puppet and her unscrupulous and undignified puppet-master. Another former oil executive, Pedro Mario Burelli, said little had changed under what he called Washington's clumsy and selective oversight. Opposition figures renewed calls for free elections after Rodriguez's meeting with Trump, demanding prompt action on electoral commitments.