Trump welcomes Venezuela’s accelerated release of political prisoners

US President Donald Trump on January 27 welcomed what he described as an accelerated release of political prisoners in Venezuela, calling it a significant humanitarian step as Washington continues to press the country’s interim leadership for broader political reforms.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Venezuela was freeing detainees “at a rapid rate” and that the pace of releases was expected to increase in the coming days. He thanked the country’s leadership for what he termed a humanitarian gesture, Caliber.Az reports. 

The comments follow reports from Venezuela’s leading prisoner-rights organisation, Foro Penal, which said dozens of detainees were released over the weekend. The group’s president, Alfredo Romero, said 266 people identified as political prisoners have been freed since January 8, including at least 100 in the past two days.

The releases come amid heightened US pressure on Venezuela’s acting government, which earlier this month pledged to free a “significant number” of detainees as part of what it called a national reconciliation effort.

Venezuela has been under interim leadership since January 3, when former president Nicolás Maduro was captured by US forces during a raid. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime figure within the ruling party, subsequently assumed the role of acting president. Rights groups say hundreds of political detainees remain imprisoned despite the recent releases.

By Sabina Mammadli