A Venezuela-based prisoners’ rights group, Foro Panel, is refuting the Venezuelan government’s claim of having released 131 political prisoners. They say only 73 have been released.
Foro Penal Directo Alfredo Romero, in a social media post late Saturday, said his group verified the lesser number that is composed of 55 men and 18 women. They say almost 400 people remain wrongfulle incarcerated.
The Venezuelan government announced Friday it had released 131 prisoners through its Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence, according to a statement published Friday on X by Venezuela's Minister of Communication, Miguel Ángel Pérez Pirela.
Despite the conflicting numbers, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on X, applauded the Venezuelan government’s reported release of 130 political prisoners, saying it represents “a crucial step for the nation's reconciliation process.”
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“As we continue to advance the three-phase plan, the United States continues to closely monitor the Venezuelan-led process of in-person talks with the interim authorities,” Rubio said.
The Trump administration proposed a three-phase plan for Venezuela comprising stabilization, recovery and democratic transition — after U.S. military and intelligence forces captured then-President Nicolás Maduro and his wife in January.
The Venezuelan government, said Rubio, has released 1,046 Venezuelans since interim President Delcy Rodríguez took over the South American country following Maduro’s ouster.
