Foro Penal confirmed 22 more prisoner releases in Venezuela on Feb. 4, bringing its count to 350 people freed since Jan. 8. The government claims nearly 900 releases but has not clarified the timeframe and appears to include earlier years. Families say the process is proceeding too slowly, and Foro Penal estimates almost 700 political prisoners remain jailed.
Foro Penal: 22 More Prisoners Freed in Venezuela; Rights Group Says 350 Released Since Jan. 8
The El Helicoide detention center, after Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, announced a proposed "amnesty law' for hundreds of prisoners, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 31, 2026. REUTERS/Maxwell Briceno
Venezuela's leading legal rights organisation, Foro Penal, reported on Feb. 4 that 22 additional detainees were released as part of a slow-moving programme of freedoms announced by the interim government.
Earlier the same day Foro Penal said it had recorded 350 people it considers political prisoners who have been freed since Jan. 8, when the government launched the effort. In the afternoon the rights group confirmed the 22 additional releases, which include journalist Rory Branker.
Government officials, who deny holding political prisoners and say those jailed have committed crimes, have offered a much larger figure — nearly 900 releases — but have not clarified the timeframe and appear to be including releases from previous years. The government has not published an official list specifying how many people will be freed or identifying them.
Families of detainees say the pace of releases is too slow. Foro Penal's updated tally indicates that almost 700 people it considers political prisoners remain behind bars; that figure was revised upward after the group included cases that fearful families had not previously reported.
Context: The releases are part of an ongoing, politically sensitive process in which rights groups and the government present markedly different counts and narratives about who is detained and why.
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