Americans Freed from Venezuelan Detention
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration announced on Tuesday the release of several Americans who had been detained in Venezuela.
“We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,” stated the U.S. State Department. “This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.”
The State Department did not specify the number of individuals released. However, an anonymous source with knowledge of the situation revealed that four Americans were released collectively on Tuesday, with an additional release of one American occurring on Monday.
This development follows the U.S. military’s recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprising nighttime operation earlier this month.
Jorge Rodríguez, leader of Venezuela’s national assembly, had previously announced that a “significant number” of prisoners, both Venezuelan and foreign, would be released as a peace gesture following the military actions that led to Maduro’s removal.
Human rights organization Foro Penal confirmed by Tuesday evening that 56 individuals detained for political reasons had been freed. The group criticized the Venezuelan government’s lack of transparency surrounding the prisoner releases. Contradicting Foro Penal, the Venezuelan government claimed that 400 prisoners had been released, though it failed to provide evidence, timelines, or identification of those freed, making it unclear whether the releases were politically motivated or otherwise.
Despite historically tense relations, Washington and Caracas have occasionally found common ground through prisoner exchanges. In July, Venezuela released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for the return of many migrants deported from the U.S. to El Salvador under the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies.
Bloomberg News initially reported the recent releases.
