The interim regime of Delcy Rodriguez began releasing Americans, while more than 800 political prisoners remain detained in Venezuela

Venezuela's interim regime, headed by Chavista leader Delcy Rodriguez, released four U.S. citizens in recent hours who had been detained in the country, in what is the first known release of U.S. citizens since the fall and capture of former dictator Nicolas Maduro at the hands of U.S. special forces.

The move, however, contrasts with the magnitude of the problem of political prisoners, which continues to affect more than 800 people unjustly deprived of their freedom in the midst of a bloody repression by the Chavista regime.

As confirmed by CNN, citing sources with direct knowledge of the case, a Department of State team traveled to Venezuela to assist with the release of the Americans. The release comes in parallel to a gradual and limited process of releases following direct pressure from Washington, which is demanding that the Chavista regime release all hostages, both Venezuelan and foreign.

A Department of State spokesman welcomed the move in a comment sent to CNN. Bloomberg had first reported the first release.

"We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela (...) This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities."

However, while the White House celebrates the commitment to release all political prisoners, human rights organizations warn that the actual extent of the releases is still far from the official announcements and initial expectations. Delcy Rodriguez's regime has claimed to have released more than a hundred detainees; however, the organization Foro Penal maintains that, as of Monday night, only 56 cases had been independently verified.

According to the records of Foro Penal, there are still more than 800 people arbitrarily detained for political reasons in Venezuela, almost all of them without due process, incommunicado or under the custody of intelligence agencies such as SEBIN or DGCIM, agencies accused of carrying out crimes against humanity.

Among those released in the last few days are a few opposition leaders, but most of the political prisoners remain behind bars. It was even revealed that one political prisoner, Portuguesa state police officer Edison Jose Torres, died in custody after being imprisoned in December 2025. 

While the release process advances in dribs and drabs, relatives of the detainees continue to gather in front of detention and torture centers such as El Helicoide, in Caracas, waiting to be reunited with their loved ones.

The slow pace of the few releases has deepened the uncertainty of hundreds of families demanding a massive and immediate release.

On Sunday, President Donald Trump said Venezuela had "started the process, in a BIG WAY, of releasing their political prisoners," raising expectations for the releases. However, 48 hours later, the Chavista regime continues to stall and slow down the process.