skip to contentAdvertisementThe releases come after a period of tighter controls on opposition voices. In recent weeks, a political scientist, an activist and union leaders were detained.December 27, 2025 06:19 AM IST First published on: Dec 27, 2025 at 06:19 AM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookA commuter descends the stairs of a subway station in Caracas, Venezuela. (AP)Venezuela says it has freed 99 people who were detained after protests over the 2024 election, in what it calls its biggest prisoner release this year, The Guardian reported.The government says those released were people “deprived of their liberty for their participation in acts of violence and incitement to hatred following the electoral process of 28 July 2024”. It also says the move shows its “commitment to peace” and its “unrestricted respect for human rights”, at a time when it says the country faces “an imperialist siege and multilateral aggression” from the United States.Civil society groups have responded with care. They say the releases help those freed, but are not enough, because many people are still in prison. Rights groups say there are at least 900 political prisoners in the country.Also read ‘Nobody planning to go in and shoot him’: US officials say Donald Trump ready to talk with Nicolas MaduroOne group, Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón, said the selective nature of the releases shows that detention is being used “as an instrument of political persecution”. The group said the step has a “positive impact” on those who left prison, but is “clearly insufficient” while hundreds of others remain in custody.Another group, the Committee for the Freedom of Social Fighters and Political Prisoners, said many of the 99 people remain under conditions such as travel bans, court check-ins and limits on speaking to the media. The groups also said they could not yet confirm that 99 people were released and that the real number may be lower.Story continues below this adThe releases come after a period of tighter controls on opposition voices. In recent weeks, a political scientist, an activist and union leaders were detained. A 17-year-old, Gabriel José Rodríguez Méndez, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of “terrorism” for taking part in protests.Most ReadProtests broke out after President Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner of the 2024 vote. The opposition says its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, actually won. He is now in exile in Spain. Opposition leader María Corina Machado is also outside the country.The United States, under US President Donald Trump, has increased pressure on Venezuela. The US has deployed around 15,000 troops and a large naval force near the country and says it is blocking sanctioned oil tankers and seizing vessels. The US has also carried out airstrikes on boats, which have caused deaths in the Caribbean and the Pacific, The Guardian reported.According to activists, none of the well-known opposition figures who were detained are among those freed, and the teenager Méndez is also not included. The group of 99 is believed to include at least three teenagers.AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...