\n\tCARACAS: Venezuela on Thursday began releasing a \u201clarge number\u201d of political prisoners, including several foreigners, in an apparent concession to the United States after its ouster of ruler Nicolas Maduro.
\n\tThe releases are the first since Maduro\u2019s former deputy Delcy Rodriguez took over, with the backing of President Donald Trump, who says he is content to let her govern as long as she gives Washington access to oil.
\n\tThe White House credited Trump with securing the prisoners\u2019 freedom.
\n\t\u201cThis is one example of how the president is using maximum leverage to do right by the American and Venezuelan people,\u201d Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to AFP.
\n\tThe releases were announced by Rodriguez\u2019s brother, parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez, a key figure in \u201cchavismo,\u201d the anti-US socialist movement founded by Maduro\u2019s predecessor Hugo Chavez.
\n\tHe said \u201ca large number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals\u201d were being immediately freed for the sake of \u201cpeaceful coexistence.\u201d
\n\tHe did not say which prisoners would be released, nor how many or from where.
\n\tRenowned Spanish-Venezuelan activist Rocio San Miguel, imprisoned since February 2024 over a purported plot to assassinate Maduro, was among five Spanish citizens freed, according to Spain\u2019s foreign ministry.
\n\tSecurity was stepped up Thursday afternoon outside the notorious El Helicoide detention center in Caracas, used by the intelligence services to jail political and other prisoners.
\n\tMiguel was held in El Helicoide after her arrest.
\n\tLeading opposition figure Alfredo Diaz, who died in December in custody, was also held at the facility.
\n\tFamilies gathered outside on Thursday for news of their loved ones.
\n\t\u201cI\u2019m nervous. Please God may it be reality,\u201d the mother of a detained activist from the party of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado told AFP.
\n\tOn Tuesday, Trump had told Republican lawmakers that Rodriguez\u2019s administration was closing a torture chamber \u201cin the middle of Caracas\u201d but gave no further details.
\n\tHis remarks had sparked speculation that Venezuelan authorities had agreed to close El Helicoide.
\n\tVenezuelan rights NGO Foro Penal estimates over 800 political prisoners are languishing in the country\u2019s jails.
\n\tIt welcomed the government\u2019s plans to liberate some of them but was still verifying releases.
\n\tAs tensions with Washington climaxed in the past month Venezuela had already released dozens of dissenters in two phases.<\/p>\n
– Trump rebuked by Senate –<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s move by Caracas came as Trump suggested the United States could run Venezuela and tap into its oil reserves for years.
\n\tShortly after Maduro\u2019s seizure in US airstrikes and a special forces raid that left 100 people dead, according to Caracas, Trump announced that the US would \u201crun\u201d the Caribbean country for a transitional period.
\n\t\u201cOnly time will tell\u201d how long Washington will demand direct oversight of the country, he told The New York Times in an interview published Thursday.
\n\tWhen asked whether that meant three months, six months or a year, he replied: \u201cI would say much longer.\u201d
\n\tMeanwhile, the US Senate on Thursday took a major step toward passing a resolution to rein in military actions against Venezuela.
\n\tThe Democratic-led legislation, expected to pass a vote next week, reflects widespread disquiet among lawmakers over Saturday\u2019s secretive capture of Maduro, conducted without their express approval.
\n\tIt is expected to face resistance in the Republican-dominated House, however.<\/p>\n
– Millions of barrels of crude –<\/p>\n
Oil has emerged as the key to US control over Venezuela, which has the world\u2019s largest proven reserves.
\n\tTrump announced a plan earlier this week for the United States to sell between 30 million and 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude, with Caracas then using the money to buy US-made products.
\n\tDelcy Rodriguez on Wednesday called the US attack to depose Maduro, who was taken to New York with his wife to face trial on drugs charges, a \u201cstain\u201d on relations with the United States.
\n\tBut she also defended the planned oil sales to Washington.
\n\tOn the streets of Caracas, opinions remain mixed about the plan.
\n\t\u201cI feel we\u2019ll have more opportunities if the oil is in the hands of the United States than in the hands of the government,\u201d said Jose Antonio Blanco, 26.
\n\tThe Wall Street Journal reported that Trump, who will meet oil executives on Friday, is also considering a plan for the US to exert control over Venezuela\u2019s state oil company PDVSA.
\n\tTrump has warned Rodriguez she will pay \u201ca very big price, probably bigger than Maduro\u201d if she does not comply with his agenda.
\n\t\u201cHer power comes from Washington, not from the internal structure. If Trump decides she\u2019s no longer useful, she\u2019ll go like Maduro,\u201d Venezuela\u2019s former information minister Andres Izarra told AFP in an email.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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