According to The Associated Press, Interim Venezuela President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Wednesday that her government will continue to release prisoners detained under the rule of the former president in an initiative she described as a “new political moment.”
Her remarks 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 ended,” stressing that the effort to free those held under Maduro’s rule is still ongoing.
Rodríguez then promoted a “Venezuela that opens up to a new political moment, that allows for… political and ideological diversity,” the AP reported.
The outlet added that perhaps 800 prisoners, including political leaders, soldiers, and lawyers, are still being detained, citing Foro Penal.
Rodríguez also claimed that her government had already released 212 detainees, but human rights organizations have estimated lower numbers, the AP added.
The ally of Maduro insisted that the prisoner releases do not signal a break from the past and are not a direct result of U.S. pressure, but she attributed 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 precisely thinking about opening up 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 assessment of “to the constitutional order,” warning that “messages of hatred, intolerance, acts of violence will not be allowed.”
The actual coordination of these releases will be handled by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
President said on Wednesday that 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 talked about a lot of things,” Trump said. “And I think we’re getting along very well with Venezuela.”