Venezuela released a "significant number" of high-profile opposition figures, activists and journalists in a gesture to seek peace, just days after the capture of Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela released several imprisoned high-profile opposition figures on Thursday in what Caracas described as a gesture to "seek peace" less than a week after US forces captured Nicolás Maduro in a military operation in Caracas.
In the interview on Fox News on Thursday night, US President Donald Trump praised the government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, saying: "They've been great ... Everything we've wanted, they've given us."
Jorge Rodríguez, brother of the acting president and head of Venezuela's National Assembly, said they would free a "significant number" of people.
"Consider this a gesture by the (Venezuelan) government, which is broadly intended to seek peace," Jorge Rodríguez announced.
The US government and Venezuela's opposition have long demanded the widespread release of imprisoned politicians, critics and members of civil society, including foreign citizens.
Who was released on Thursday?
As the news of the release broke on Thursday, families of detainees rushed to prisons across the country, seeking information on their loved ones.
Among those released was Biagio Pilieri, an opposition leader who was part of Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado's 2024 presidential campaign.
Also freed was Enrique Márquez, a former electoral authority and candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
Videos posted by journalists on social media show Márquez and Pilieri embracing people on the streets outside the prison.
Five Spanish citizens, including the prominent Venezuelan-Spanish lawyer and human rights activist Rocío San Miguel, were also released in the afternoon.
Further reports on Thursday night claimed more detainees were freed.
Venezuela's government has typically released political prisoners at times of tension to signal openness to dialogue. However, Caracas insists it does not hold prisoners for political reasons.
As of late Thursday night, it was still unclear how many people had been released or whether more would walk free.