Venezuela’s Penitentiary Services Ministry said it has released 116 people in what it described as a new round of measures linked to cases involving actions that disrupted the constitutional order and threatened national stability. The announcement came as Spain’s foreign minister said three more Spanish prisoners were freed, and as opposition leader María Corina Machado met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican to seek support for the release of hundreds of political prisoners.
In its statement, the Penitentiary Services Ministry said the 116 releases were the result of “coordinated efforts” and framed the move as part of a continuing policy focused on justice, dialogue, and preserving peace. The ministry also said these new measures add to 187 similar measures granted in December.
Government details on the releases
The Penitentiary Services Ministry said the latest releases benefited people who had been deprived of liberty for acts related to disrupting constitutional order and threatening the stability of the nation. It added that the review process would continue on a permanent and continuous basis, while remaining in strict adherence to current legislation.
The ministry said the policy began during the term of captured President Nicolás Maduro and is continuing under interim President Delcy Rodríguez. The statement did not provide identities or nationalities for most of those released.
Spain reports three more freed
Spain’s foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, said Venezuela freed three more Spanish prisoners after five were released the previous week. Albares said the releases involved three Spanish-Venezuelan dual nationals, with one choosing to stay in Venezuela and another expected to return to Spain.
Albares described the releases as a second step that Spain views positively, and he said Spain is encouraging the Venezuelan government to keep moving in that direction. His comments were reported after the three releases that he said occurred on Monday.
Machado meets Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo XIV met privately with Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado at the Vatican on Monday, according to the Vatican’s daily bulletin, which listed the meeting without details. Euronews reported that the meeting was not previously included in the pope’s planned appointments list.
Machado said she asked the pope to intercede for the release of hundreds of political prisoners held in Venezuela. In a statement after the meeting, she said she shared gratitude for his continued support and asked him to intercede for Venezuelans she said remain “kidnapped and disappeared.”
Machado also held talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, who served as an ecclesiastical diplomat in Venezuela from 2009 to 2013. Pope Leo XIV has urged protection of human and civil rights in Venezuela and said he was watching developments with “deep concern.”
Political context cited in reports
Venezuela released several imprisoned high-profile opposition figures last Thursday, describing the move as something Caracas said was intended to “seek peace.” Dozens more political prisoners were released again on Monday, while rights groups questioned the numbers and families pressed for quicker releases.
The releases came after a Jan. 3 US military operation in Venezuela that captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. After Maduro’s capture, Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as Venezuela’s interim president.
The Venezuelan opposition had been backed by consecutive Republican and Democratic administrations in the United States and had pledged for years to replace Maduro and restore democracy. US President Donald Trump dealt the opposition a setback by allowing Rodríguez to assume control.
US President Donald Trump welcomed the start of Venezuela’s release of political prisoners on Saturday. Separately, after winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Machado said she would like to give it to or share it with Trump, and the Norwegian Nobel Institute said a prize cannot be revoked, transferred, or shared once announced.
