Venezuela frees 39 political prisoners after post-Maduro talks

The releases follow a second round of negotiations between Venezuela’s interim government and the opposition.

Activists and relatives of political prisoners take part in a protest calling for the release of their loved ones in Caracas, Venezuela, September 11, 2026 [Gaby Oraa/Reuters]

More than three dozen political prisoners have been released in Venezuela following a second round of talks backed by Washington between the country’s interim government and the opposition.

Human rights group Justicia, Encuentro y Perdon (JEP) said 39 political dissidents were freed between Friday and Saturday from various prisons, including eight women accused of “narco-terrorism” in 2021 and six people accused of working with the United States in a 2020 attempt to overthrow former President Nicolas Maduro.

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“We will remain vigilant and continue to demand full freedom for all those who are still waiting,” JEP said in a statement on X.

The releases followed a second round of negotiations on Friday between the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s former vice president, and the opposition, held with US approval since Washington’s military removal of Maduro in January.

People hold signs and lit candles at a vigil to pray for the release of political prisoners in Caracas, Venezuela, on September 13, 2026 [Miguel Gutierrez/EPA]

A first round of talks in August focused on retrieving Venezuelan funds frozen overseas to help recovery from June’s earthquakes, which killed more than 6,300 people, and on reforming the judiciary.

Rodriguez enacted an amnesty law in February under US pressure, though the pace of releases has been slow.

Foro Penal, a rights group that tracks political detentions, said 344 people remained classified as political prisoners as of September 18, down from 391 on August 10, when the government said it had freed 131 people under a separate “alternative measures” programme.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at the time that more than 1,000 Venezuelans had been released since Maduro’s removal, calling it “a crucial step” for the country’s reconciliation.

Families of political prisoners have staged ongoing protests outside the US embassy in Caracas and the El Rodeo I prison, which rights groups consider a torture centre.

此次释放是在委内瑞拉临时政府与反对派进行第二轮谈判之后做出的。

2026年9月11日，委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯，活动人士和政治犯家属参加抗议活动，呼吁释放他们的亲人。[Gaby Oraa/路透社]

在华盛顿的支持下，委内瑞拉临时政府与反对派举行了第二轮会谈，此后，超过36名政治犯在委内瑞拉获释。

人权组织“正义、相遇与宽恕”（JEP）表示，从周五到周六，共有 39 名政治异见人士从各个监狱获释，其中包括 8 名在 2021 年被控“毒品恐怖主义”的女性，以及 6 名被控在 2020 年与美国合作试图推翻前总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗的人。

委内瑞拉总理德尔西·罗德里格斯在联合国承诺举行选举，但未给出具体日期（共3条，此为第1条）：委内瑞拉总理德尔西·罗德里格斯在联合国承诺举行选举，但未给出具体日期。

美国将委内瑞拉从毒品名单中移除，这是三份名单中的第二份，特朗普表示。

委内瑞拉地震救援犬“海啸”获颁雕像（共3条，此为第3条）

“我们将保持警惕，并继续要求给予所有仍在等待的人完全自由，”JEP在X上发表声明说。

此前，临时总统德尔西·罗德里格斯（马杜罗的前副总统）的政府与反对派于周五举行了第二轮谈判，自华盛顿于 1 月份用武力推翻马杜罗以来，谈判一直得到美国的批准。

2026年9月13日，在委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯，人们举着标语牌，点燃蜡烛，举行守夜活动，祈祷政治犯获释。[Miguel Gutierrez/EPA]

8 月的第一轮会谈重点是追回被冻结在海外的委内瑞拉资金，以帮助该国从 6 月份造成 6300 多人死亡的地震中恢复过来，以及改革司法机构。

在美国的压力下，罗德里格斯于2月份颁布了一项大赦法，但释放人员的速度一直很慢。

人权组织“刑事论坛”（Foro Penal）追踪政治拘留情况，该组织表示，截至 9 月 18 日，仍有 344 人被列为政治犯，低于 8 月 10 日的 391 人。当时，政府表示已根据一项单独的“替代措施”计划释放了 131 人。

美国国务卿马可·卢比奥当时表示，自马杜罗下台以来，已有 1000 多名委内瑞拉人获释，称这是该国实现和解的“关键一步”。

政治犯家属一直在加拉加斯的美国大使馆和埃尔罗德奥一号监狱外举行持续抗议活动，人权组织认为该监狱是一个酷刑中心。