Venezuela’s interim president starts freeing political prisoners as ousted leader Maduro says he is ‘doing well’ in US custody after his capture
CARACAS: Venezuelans awaited the release of more political prisoners on Sunday as ousted president Nicolas Maduro defiantly claimed he is “doing fine” in a US jail cell.
Interim president Delcy Rodriguez has begun freeing prisoners jailed under Maduro, promising a “large” number would be released in a gesture Washington took credit for.
Rodriguez said Venezuela would take “the diplomatic route” with the United States, with President Donald Trump claiming the US was “in charge” of the South American country.
“Venezuela has started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“I hope those prisoners will remember how lucky they got that the USA came along and did what had to be done.”
Rights groups estimate between 800 and 1,200 political prisoners are held in Venezuela.
Maduro and his wife were captured in a dramatic nighttime raid on January 3 that began with air strikes across Caracas.
They were taken to New York City by US forces to stand trial on drug-trafficking and weapons charges.
Only 21 people had been released by Saturday evening, including several prominent opposition figures.
A detained police officer accused of “treason” against Venezuela had also died in state custody, the opposition and rights groups said on Saturday.
“We directly hold the regime of Delcy Rodriguez responsible for this death,” opposition party Primero Justicia said in a statement.
Anxious relatives have camped outside jails awaiting the promised release of political prisoners.
Families held candlelight vigils outside El Rodeo prison and the notorious El Helicoide prison run by intelligence services.
“I am tired and angry,” Nebraska Rivas, 57, told AFP as she waited for her son to be released from El Rodeo.
“But I have faith that they will hand him over to us soon,” she said after sleeping on the pavement outside the prison for two nights.
Maduro claimed he was “doing well” in jail in New York, his son Nicolas Maduro Guerra said in a video released by his party.
Around 1,000 protesters rallied in the west of Caracas and a few hundred in the eastern Petare district, waving flags with the face of the ex-leader.
“I’ll march as often as I have to until Nicolas and Cilia come back,” said demonstrator Soledad Rodriguez, 69.
“I trust blindly that they will come back — they have been kidnapped.”
The demonstrations were far smaller than Maduro’s camp had mustered in the past, and top figures from his government were notably absent.
Rodriguez was instead seen attending an agricultural fair, insisting Venezuela is not “subordinate” to Washington.
She vowed she would “not rest for a minute until we have our president back.”
The other two hardline powers in his government, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, were also not seen at the rallies.
Trump vowed to secure US access to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves following Maduro’s capture, and Rodriguez has pledged to cooperate.
The White House said Trump has signed an emergency order protecting US-held revenues from sales of Venezuelan oil.
Trump pressed top oil executives at a White House meeting on Friday to invest in Venezuela’s reserves but was met with a cautious reception.
Chevron is currently the only US firm licensed to operate in Venezuela through a sanctions exemption.
Experts say Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is creaky after years of mismanagement and sanctions.
Washington has also confirmed that US envoys visited Caracas on Friday to discuss reopening their embassy there.
The Venezuelan government did not respond when asked whether the US officials had met with Rodriguez.
The US embassy in Colombia warned that “the security situation in Venezuela remains fluid” and advised Americans to leave “immediately.”
