Venezuela’s acting president touts ‘new political moment,’ hints at further release of political prisoners

Interim Venezuela President Delcy Rodríguez announced Wednesday that her government will continue to release prisoners detained under the rule of former President Nicolás Maduro in an initiative she touted as a "new political moment," according to The Associated Press.

Her comments came just days after the interim government freed at least four U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela, marking the first known release of American prisoners since Maduro was ousted in a U.S. military operation earlier this month.

During her first press briefing since becoming acting leader, Rodríguez reportedly told journalists in Caracas that the process of releasing detainees "has not yet concluded," emphasizing that the effort to free those held under Maduro’s rule is ongoing. 

Rodriguez then promoted a "Venezuela that opens itself to a new political moment, that allows for ... political and ideological diversity," the AP reported.

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The outlet added that possibly 800 prisoners, including political leaders, soldiers and lawyers, are still being detained, citing Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal.

Rodriguez also claimed her government had already released 212 detainees, but human rights organizations have estimated lower figures, The AP added.  

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The Maduro ally insisted that the prisoner releases do not signal a break from the past and are not the direct result of U.S. pressure, but she credited the effort to the ousted president, The AP reported. She said Maduro oversaw the release of 194 detainees in December, noting that he did so because he "was thinking precisely about opening spaces for understanding, for coexistence, for tolerance," according to the outlet.

While Rodríguez has not provided a detailed framework for determining who will be released, she said decisions will be guided by an evaluation of "crimes related to the constitutional order," warning that "messages of hatred, intolerance, acts of violence will not be permitted."

The actual coordination of these releases will be handled by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello. 

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he recently had a "great conversation" with Rodríguez, their first since Maduro was captured and flown to the U.S. to face drug-trafficking charges.  

"We had a call, a long call. We discussed a lot of things," Trump said. "And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.