Number of prisoners released in Venezuela rises to 18, rights groups say

Family members of detainees shelter from the rain outside the El Rodeo jail, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez announced that a number of foreign and Venezuelan prisoners will be released, in El Rodeo, Miranda state, Venezuela January 10, 2026. REUTERS/Gaby Oraa

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The number of ‌prisoners released in Venezuela has risen to 18, human rights ‌groups said on Saturday, from nine on Friday afternoon.

The release of ‌hundreds of political prisoners in the South American country is a long-running demand of human rights groups, international bodies and opposition figures, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, ‍who has several close allies imprisoned.