By Anita Pouchard SerraThe head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, announced on Thursday the release of a “significant number” of Venezuelans and foreign nationals who have been held in the country’s prisons. International human rights groups have consistently accused the country of holding political prisoners. “For peaceful coexistence, the Bolivarian government, together with state institutions, has decided to release a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals,” Rodríguez said in a press conference at the Venezuelan Assembly. According to Foro Penal, a human rights institution focused on political prisoners, there is also an Argentine-Venezuelan detainee. In September, rights watchdog Human Rights Watch and the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Venezuela nonprofit released a report stating that many political prisoners were not allowed phone calls or visits, even from their family, sometimes for a year or more.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald January 09, 2026 00:13 UTC