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The US State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the continued release of remaining political prisoners when he met his Venezuelan counterpart Oliver Blanco on Monday. More than 1,000 detainees have been freed since US forces removed Nicolás Maduro from power on January 3 and took him to New York to face drug-trafficking and torture charges. Venezuelan rights group Foro Penal places the number still held at 322, a figure that reflects substantial progress from earlier tallies that exceeded 800 prisoners at the start of the year. The session also addressed institutional reforms intended to support free and fair elections, according to a readout of the discussions.
A State Department readout of the meeting indicated that Rubio reaffirmed President Donald Trump’s three-phase plan consisting of stabilisation, economic recovery, political reconciliation and democratic transition. The two officials reviewed advances in Venezuelan-led reconciliation talks that have included steps toward credible voting processes. A week earlier Rubio had told journalists that replacement of the country’s election infrastructure would be necessary for any future polls to meet international standards. These elements formed the core of the agenda as the interim government under President Delcy Rodriguez works to reshape governance structures.
Foro Penal data from throughout 2026 shows that the pace of releases accelerated after an amnesty law was passed by the interim administration, though the group has at times disputed official counts of those freed. In the initial months after Maduro’s removal, human rights organizations including a UN fact-finding mission noted that only dozens had been verified as released despite government announcements of larger numbers, according to reports from The New York Times and Reuters. The latest assessment from the prisoners’ rights organization indicates that hundreds of families continue to await news on those still detained on charges critics describe as politically motivated.
Opposition leader María Corina Machado, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, has long demanded the full release of political prisoners as a precondition for meaningful reconciliation, Al Jazeera reported. She returned to Venezuela on October 25 after nearly a year in exile and has begun organizing supporters ahead of anticipated elections. Machado’s return came nearly a year after she left the country amid political tensions, adding momentum to calls for completing the prisoner releases.
The interim government has used the amnesty measures to address cases stemming from protests after the disputed 2024 presidential election, earlier Reuters accounts indicate. Some released individuals have not had all charges dropped, leaving them in a form of legal uncertainty that rights groups continue to monitor. This approach has drawn both praise for incremental steps and calls for faster, more comprehensive action from international observers tracking the transition.
In its statement after the talks, the State Department said Rubio urged the continued release of the remaining political prisoners in Venezuela while both sides discussed progress on reconciliation. The readout added that the diplomats examined reforms laying groundwork for credible elections without setting a specific timeline. Venezuelan officials have signaled willingness to proceed with the US-supported phases but have provided few concrete dates for the next national vote, according to coverage from multiple outlets including AFP.
