Venezuela says 116 prisoners released, rights groups cite much lower figures

Families await releases, with some sleeping outside prisons

Evelis Cano, mother of Jack Tantak Cano, 31, who was arrested in November 2025, sits on the ground as family members of detainees wait outside the National Police Zone 7 Detention Centre while Venezuela's government begins releasing some detainees, marking a move long demanded by human rights groups, international bodies and opposition leaders, in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan 12, 2026. REUTERS

Venezuela's government said on Monday that 116 prisoners have so far been released as part of process announced last week, though rights groups reported a lower figure as family members of the detained awaited liberations, with some sleeping outside prisons.

By late afternoon on Monday, Unidad Venezuela, a group of opposition parties, said just 65 people had been freed so far, urging the Venezuelan government in a post on X to "speed up the release process so that the suffering of political prisoners and their families can finally come to an end."

Legal advocacy group Foro Penal had a count of just 49.

The government figure, published by the Penitentiary Services Ministry, followed three days of reports from rights organizations about delays in releases. The ministry said those being freed had been involved in "acts associated with disrupting the constitutional order and undermining the stability of the nation."

Supporters and family members have spent the weekend gathering at detention centers throughout the capital Caracas, where they also held candlelit vigils and some stayed overnight on mattresses outside, hoping to see their loved ones set free.

“I have visited several detention centers and the answer is always the same: he is not here. A long time has passed, and I have no proof of life. I demand proof of life because I need to know how my husband is. It's been more than a year without hearing my husband's voice," said Mariana Gonzalez de Tudares, the daughter of the opposition's former presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez. Her husband Rafael Tudares was detained in January 2025 while driving his two young children to school.

The dripfeed of releases comes after a week of political turmoil in Caracas following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States, and his appearance in a New York court on drug trafficking charges.

The release of hundreds of political prisoners in the South American country is a long-running demand of human rights groups, international bodies and opposition figures.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who is due to meet with US President Donald Trump this Thursday and several of whose close allies are detained, has been one of the main voices calling for releases.

Machado visited the Vatican on Monday, where she met Pope Leo and asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who "remain kidnapped and disappeared."

The head of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez, had said on Thursday that a significant number of prisoners, both foreign and Venezuelan, would be released, though the government has not given a total.

According to Foro Penal, at least 800 people were being held as political prisoners at the beginning of the year in Venezuela. The government denies that there are detainees held for political reasons.