{
  "id": 915373,
  "title": "Venezuela frees more political prisoners amid post-Maduro talks",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/venezuela-frees-more-political-prisoners-amid-post-maduro-talks",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-14T22:52:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/08/1511472/venezuela-frees-more-political-prisoners-amid-post-maduro-talks"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "CARACAS: Venezuela released dozens of political prisoners on Friday, signaling progress in talks aimed at reconciling the nation after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro, the government announced. The Foro Penal rights group reported that six women, including one accused of participating in an assassination plot against Maduro, had been freed. Meanwhile, the government stated that 131 individuals had been granted alternative measures to incarceration under the Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence. Tearful reunions outside the El Rodeo I prison in Guatire, located 50km east of the capital Caracas, were witnessed by AFP reporters as former prisoners reunited with their families.\n\nThis development occurred a day after opposition figure Dinorah Figuera called for formal talks with the interim government to fight for the release of political prisoners. The US-brokered talks kicked off last week and concluded on Wednesday, but the joint statement issued by both sides did not mention the issue of political prisoners. Maduro, who has ruled Venezuela since 2013 with an increasingly authoritarian rule, was accused of arresting political opponents and activists often on false charges of coup plotting. In the weeks following his seizure by US forces, the interim government, led by his deputy Delcy Rodriguez, allowed hundreds of prisoners to be released. Rodriguez also enacted an amnesty law in February.\n\nAccording to Foro Penal, over 350 political prisoners remained incarcerated as of Friday's release. Emirlendris Benitez and five other women were among those freed, according to Foro Penal director Alfredo Romero. Benitez, who was four months pregnant at the time, was among those arrested following an incident in 2018 where two drones equipped with explosives targeted Maduro during a military parade in Caracas. The drones detonated, injuring seven soldiers. Benitez and her partner, Yolmer Escalona, were arrested but denied involvement in the alleged plot. They were both sentenced to 30 years in prison. Human rights groups have alleged that Benitez suffered torture during her detention, leading to a miscarriage and partial paralysis. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for her immediate release in 2022. The reconciliation talks between the government and opposition are being led by Figuera and Rodriguez's brother, National Assembly chief Jorge Rodriguez. Notably, exiled opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who has said she will not participate in the process, is notably absent from the table. Many Venezuelans remain hopeful that the transition talks will ultimately lead to democratic elections, as Maduro's 2018 and 2024 poll victories were rejected by the opposition and numerous foreign nations as fraudulent. Maduro and his wife are currently held in a New York prison, awaiting federal trial on drug trafficking and other charges.",
  "summary": "CARACAS: Venezuela freed dozens more political prisoners Friday, the government said, in a sign of progress in talks to reconcile the nation following Nicolas Maduro’s ouster.",
  "key_points": [
    "Venezuela releases 131 political prisoners via Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence.",
    "Six women, including one accused of assassination plot, freed by government."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Le Monde English",
        "title": "Venezuela frees more political prisoners amid post-Maduro talks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/14/venezuela-frees-more-political-prisoners-amid-post-maduro-talks-918313",
        "published": "2026-08-14T22:48:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Venezuela says 131 political prisoners freed amid post-Maduro talks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/15/venezuela-says-131-political-prisoners-freed-amid-post-maduro-talks",
        "published": "2026-08-15T02:08:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}