Venezuela says it has freed 99 political prisoners

Venezuela has said it has carried out its largest release of political prisoners this year, claiming to have freed 99 people detained for taking part in protests after the disputed 2024 election, as Nicolás Maduro's regime comes under increasing military pressure from the US.

- Tiago Rogero

Protesters in Madrid, Spain, call for the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela, including at least 20 Spanish citizens.

Civil society organisations have treated the news with caution and stressed the releases were insufficient, noting that at least 900 political prisoners remained in custody after the crackdown by Maduro, who is widely believed to have stolen by the presidential election.

His regime refuses to acknowledge the existence of political prisoners and said it had freed, in the early hours of Christmas Day, 99 "citizens who were deprived of their liberty for their participation in acts of violence and incitement to hatred following the electoral process of 28 July 2024".

It framed the move as an expression of its alleged commitment to "peace" and its "unrestricted respect for human rights", at a moment when the country was facing what it described as an "imperialist siege and multilateral aggression" by the US.