At least 80 people identified as political prisoners by the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal were released on Sunday as part of an ongoing process, the group's director said.
Alfredo Romero, director of Foro Penal, reported on X that the detainees were freed from prisons across Venezuela and indicated that additional releases were likely taking place. Romero's comment framed the latest stage of a multi-day process that rights monitors have been tracking.
There is a notable difference between the counts issued by the rights group and those provided by government officials. Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, stated on Friday that 626 people have been released from prison. Rodriguez did not specify when those reported releases occurred, leaving the timeline unclear.
By contrast, Foro Penal had, before Sunday, confirmed the release of 156 political prisoners in Venezuela since Jan 8. That assessment reflects the organization's verification process and its narrower definition of which detainees it classifies as political prisoners.
Rodriguez said she is scheduled to speak on Monday with Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to request U.N. verification of the lists of people reported released so far in the country. The planned call was presented as a step toward external confirmation of the names and numbers provided by authorities.
Reporting on the unfolding releases remains limited to the statements from Foro Penal and the interim president. The two sources offer divergent counts and different levels of detail on timing and scope. Foro Penal's latest update focused on the group of at least 80 freed on Sunday and noted the possibility of further releases, while the government's larger figure lacks a clarified timeline in the statements cited.
No additional independently verified tallies or third-party confirmations were provided in the statements referenced here. The sequence of announcements points to ongoing developments that rights monitors and international bodies are being asked to validate.