Venezuelan authorities have released several political prisoners, according to human rights groups, shortly after the interim leader Delcy Rodriguez met with US President Donald Trump in New York. Among those released on Saturday morning was Wilder Vasquez, who had been sentenced to five years in 2018 for allegedly plotting to kill former President Nicolás Maduro.
Opposition figures have called for free elections following Rodriguez's discussions with Trump at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. The interim government previously released hundreds of prisoners as part of a reconciliation effort after Maduro's seizure of power, but such releases had slowed since April when Rodriguez indicated that the initiative was nearing its end.
The Venezuelan government has not commented on the recent releases or confirmed whether they were influenced by the meeting with Trump. Gonzalo Himiob, vice-president of the rights group Foro Penal, reported that a significant number of political prisoners were released from various detention centers on Saturday.
Foro Penal also confirmed the release of Miguel Castillo Cedeño, who had been detained since June 2019, and Frank Cabañas, who had been imprisoned for nine years related to the death of a police officer. Rights groups have criticized the government for using the detention of political prisoners to suppress dissent.
Rodriguez has attempted to present her interim government as more open to political dissent while seeking to improve relations with the US. The prisoner release initiative was seen as a key concession to the US. However, the decision to halt the scheme faced criticism from opposition and rights groups, as less than half of the political prisoners were released.
Rodriguez's government continues to deny that dissidents are imprisoned, framing the releases as gestures of goodwill. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, associated with Maduro's regime, described the meeting with Trump as a significant diplomatic achievement.
Opposition figures expressed discontent with the meeting, viewing it as a dismissal of their calls for immediate elections. Pedro Mario Burelli, a former executive and opposition commentator, criticized both leaders, suggesting little has changed in Venezuela under US oversight.
The last elections in Venezuela, held in 2024, were widely regarded as fraudulent, with opposition counts indicating their candidate had won by 70%. Despite this, the Trump administration supported Rodriguez as Maduro's successor rather than the opposition leader María Corina Machado.
Rodriguez reiterated during her speech at the UN General Assembly that elections would occur in Venezuela, although she did not provide a timeline.