âť“WHAT HAPPENED: Venezuela released a number of imprisoned opposition figures, activists, and journalists as a gesture to “seek peace.”
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Acting President Delcy RodrĂguez, U.S. President Donald J. Trump, opposition leaders, and human rights activists.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Thursday, in Guatire, Venezuela, and other locations across the country.
đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “They’ve been great… Everything we’ve wanted, they’ve given us.” — President Trump
🎯IMPACT: The move was seen as a potential step toward dialogue and transition toward a free and open democracy in Venezuela.
The interim Venezuelan government released a number of high-profile opposition leaders, activists, and journalists from its prisons on Thursday. Venezuelan officials are characterizing the move as a gesture to “seek peace,” after the country’s former Marxist dictator, Nicolás Maduro, was captured earlier this month by U.S. forces and now faces narco-terrorism charges in New York.
Late Thursday, President Donald J. Trump revealed that the prisoner release came at the urging of the United States. “They’ve been great… Everything we’ve wanted, they’ve given us,” Trump said regarding Venezuela’s interim government led by acting President Delcy RodrĂguez. Notably, Jorge RodrĂguez, the brother of the acting president, stated that a “significant number” of people would be freed, though the exact number remained unclear as of Friday.
Among the prisoners whose release has been confirmed are Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader linked to Nobel Peace Prize winner MarĂa Corina Machado’s 2024 presidential campaign, and Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and candidate in the 2024 election. Videos posted on social media showed emotional reunions, with relatives chanting “Libertad!” outside prisons.
In addition, the Spanish government confirmed the release of five of its citizens, including dual national and human rights activist RocĂo San Miguel. Spanish Foreign Minister JosĂ© Manuel Albares identified others released as AndrĂ©s MartĂnez, JosĂ© MarĂa Basoa, Ernesto Gorbe, and Miguel Moreno. Some had been detained on accusations of espionage or visa violations.
President Trump affirmed his administration’s commitment to maintaining a role in Venezuela’s future, including its oil resources, and hinted at a possible meeting with opposition leader MarĂa Corina Machado next week.
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