Trump administration says Venezuela has released jailed US citizens

Venezuela has started releasing multiple Americans detained across the country, according to a US state department official.

The official did not confirm the identities or number of prisoners released by Venezuela, but in a statement called the move “an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities”.

It is the first known release of American citizens since a US military operation seized Nicolás Maduro and his wife during a raid in the capital Caracas on 3 January, to face drug trafficking charges in New York.

The UN says Venezuela has so far released about 50 prisoners of what human rights groups estimate are 800 political prisoners detained in the country.

The Venezuelan government, led by Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, announced last week it would start releasing “a significant” number of people considered political prisoners as a “goodwill gesture”.

Some domestic opposition figures and at least five Spanish citizens are among those confirmed to have been freed so far.

Over the weekend, Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social account that the process of freeing detainees in Venezuela had begun “in a BIG WAY”.

Trump said he cancelled a second wave of airstrikes on Venezuela once he learned Caracas was cooperating with the release of prisoners.

The developments are being viewed as the first test of Trump’s influence in Venezuela following the removal of Maduro.

However, the interim government has been accused of failing to maintain its promise to release political detainees, including by Ramón Guanipa, whose father is a politician who remains imprisoned.

Guanipa told the BBC that Trump should “not be fooled” by the gestures of the authorities until all political prisoners are released.

Human rights groups and political activists have long accused the government of using detentions to muzzle its critics. Officials repeatedly denied Venezuela held any political prisoners, insisting they were arrested for criminal activity.

Many were detained after the 2024 presidential election, where Maduro claimed victory despite opponents disputing the results.