US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Venezuela to release political detainees during a meeting with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco on Monday, according to the State Department. More than 1,000 prisoners have been freed since US military forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on 3 January and transported him to New York to face trial on drug-trafficking and torture charges. However, prisoners’ rights organization Foro Penal reports that 322 individuals remain detained.
The detention of political prisoners has emerged as a central issue in Venezuela’s transition period. The prisoners were primarily arrested following the 2024 presidential election, which was declared won by the incumbent Maduro despite opposition claims supported by voting tallies and independent verification suggesting otherwise. The Carter Center, which deployed election observers, concluded the election did not meet democratic standards. A UN fact-finding mission subsequently documented widespread government repression targeting perceived opponents and those expressing dissent.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, returned to Venezuela on 25 October after nearly a year in exile and has prioritized the release of political detainees. She has advocated for elections to be held in 2027, previously proposing 24 July 2027, the birthday of independence leader Simón Bolivar, though she has since broadened her timeline to sometime within the coming year.
Following Maduro’s capture, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez assumed the role of interim president with Trump administration backing. The US State Department indicated continued commitment to Trump’s three-phase plan involving stabilization, economic recovery, political reconciliation, and democratic transition. Rubio has emphasized that Venezuela’s electoral infrastructure requires replacement, stressing the need for expedited reform rather than delays of years. Rodríguez announced elections would occur under a reformed electoral authority but provided no specific timeline, while Venezuelan opposition parties have expressed frustration over the pace of reforms.
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