Venezuela says it will release political prisoners as peace gesture

Jorge Rodríguez, the powerful brother of acting president Delcy Rodríguez, said Thursday that a “significant number" of Venezuelan and foreign prisoners would be released.

“These releases from prison are occurring at this very moment," said Jorge Rodríguez, who is head of Venezuela’s congress. He didn’t say how many prisoners would be let go.

He said the liberation of both Venezuelan and foreign prisoners was a gesture “to seek peace as the contribution that we all must make to ensure that our republic continues its peaceful life in pursuit of prosperity." The move would come as the regime is reasserting authority on the streets, sending regime-affiliated gangs on motorcycles to stop any celebration over Maduro’s capture.

Under Maduro, Venezuela detained hundreds of political opponents. Human-rights organizations said many prisoners were beaten and tortured by putting a bag over their heads, forcing them to eat pasta with excrement and giving them electric shocks to their genitals.

The Maduro regime had in the past also detained American citizens, who were used as bargaining chips in talks with Washington, according to political analysts.

The treatment of prisoners instilled fear that allowed Maduro to maintain power over nearly 13 years amid an economic meltdown, tamping down on protests over electoral fraud and food shortages and limiting criticism on social media.

Venezuela’s opposition had been pushing for the release of political prisoners after Maduro’s downfall. Many activists were initially disappointed by the Trump administration’s focus on securing Venezuela’s oil and dictating policy to its leaders rather than on releasing political prisoners and restoring democracy.

Phil Gunson, a Caracas-based analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Thursday’s announcement “looks clearly like an attempt to appease Washington."

“But the scale of the release and identities will be crucial in determining whether this marks a departure," he said.

Foro Penal, a Caracas-based rights organization, says there are more than 800 political prisoners in Venezuela.

“Good news," said Alfredo Romero, the group’s director, on X. “We will be verifying each release. We already know of some people on their way to freedom, including foreigners."

Imdat Oner, a former Turkish diplomat in Venezuela, said the release of political prisoners is an attempt by Maduro’s allies to maintain their grip on power.

“Delcy wants to show that this transition is moderate…showing that they are aligned with U.S. interests," said Oner, now a fellow at the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy, in Florida. “They are looking for their own survival."

Venezuela’s regime, which has been left in place after Maduro’s capture, has sought to reassert authority this week. It arrested journalists, dispatched a paramilitary force known as colectivos to patrol streets and set up checkpoints where armed men looked through people’s phones.

In one of her first acts, Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, authorizing police to search for and arrest anyone who supported the ouster of Maduro and his wife.

On Wednesday, Rodríguez appointed a military general, Gustavo González, as the head of the presidential guard and the military’s intelligence unit DGCIM.

González has been sanctioned by the U.S. for human-rights abuses for his role in violently putting down antigovernment protests as the head of another feared intelligence unit called Sebin.

A United Nations fact-finding mission said in a 2022 report that González, a former interior minister, had ordered the detention and torture of political opponents to extract information at all costs.

The report said he was close to Diosdado Cabello, the current interior minister, who has been indicted in the U.S. on allegations of drug trafficking.

Write to Ryan Dubé at ryan.dube@wsj.com