CARACAS – At least eighty political prisoners were released in Venezuela on Sunday, according to the human rights organization Foro Penal. The releases took place in several prisons across the country, the NGO reported, adding that more detainees may be freed in the coming days.
Foro Penal said it is still working to verify the identities of those released. On Sunday, family members of detainees gathered outside various prisons, waiting for news and hoping that additional prisoners would soon regain their freedom.
According to data compiled by Foro Penal, a total of 777 political prisoners were being held in Venezuela as of January 19, 2026. This group includes 173 military personnel, 99 women, and two minors.
Leaders of Foro Penal stated that the recent releases are part of a gradual process in which political prisoners are being freed amid international pressure and negotiations. Critics, however, argue that the pace remains slow and that many detainees continue to be held without sufficient transparency.
Venezuelan authorities in Caracas have said that since December, a total of 626 people have been released as part of the prisoner release process. Foro Penal, however, has so far been able to independently confirm only a significantly lower number of those cases.
Opposition groups and human rights organizations have criticized the lack of clarity surrounding the release procedures, as well as what they describe as limited and uneven progress in securing the freedom of political detainees in Venezuela.
