On Thursday, Venezuelan opposition members Enrique Márquez and Biagio Pileri embraced their family members after spending more than a year behind bars. The releases come less than a week after the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, a development many see as a turning point in the country’s political crisis.
The move affects hundreds of political prisoners in Venezuela, many of whom have spent years or even decades incarcerated for publicly opposing the government.
The decision was announced Thursday afternoon by Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, who said the move was made to promote peace and unity in the country.
“The Bolivarian Republic, together with the country’s institutions, has decided to free from its jails a significant number of foreign and Venezuelan people,” Rodríguez said.
President Donald Trump also confirmed the development in a Truth Social post early Friday, stating that the releases and cooperation between both countries led to the cancellation of a second wave of attacks. Trump added that U.S. military presence will remain in place for security reasons.
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado reacted to the announcement, calling the moment a sign that justice will ultimately prevail.
“This day matters because it recognizes what we always knew, that injustice will not be forever, and that the truth always comes out,” Machado said.
Machado added that the opposition will not stop pushing until all political prisoners are freed. For now, many families remain waiting outside prisons across the country, as the regime continues to hold detainees in what human rights groups allege are poor and inhumane conditions.
