Rubio demands Venezuela free remaining 322 political prisoners

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Venezuelan officials on Monday that the country must release its remaining political prisoners. He raised the issue during a meeting with Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco, according to the State Department. The talks also covered reforms designed to prepare Venezuela for free and credible elections.

More than 1,000 political prisoners have been freed since US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro in a military raid on 3 January. Maduro is currently in New York, facing trial on charges of drug trafficking and torture. Venezuelan rights group Foro Penal reports that 322 people remain in detention.

The release of these detainees has long been a priority for opposition leader María Corina Machado. She returned to Venezuela on 25 October after nearly a year in exile. Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, met with relatives of the remaining detainees among her first stops in the country.

Many of the prisoners were detained after the disputed 2024 presidential election. The government-controlled National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner, but opposition tallies and the Carter Center indicated the opposition candidate had won the vote. A UN fact-finding mission later found that the government organized severe repression against political opponents and critics in the months following the election.

Interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s loyal vice-president, now leads the country with support from the Trump administration. Opposition parties have grown impatient with the pace of reform. The State Department statement reaffirmed support for President Donald Trump’s three-phase plan, which includes stabilization, economic recovery, and political reconciliation before a democratic transition.

Rubio told reporters a week before Monday that Venezuela must replace its electoral infrastructure before a new vote is valid. He urged swift action within US-set timelines. Rodríguez responded in a televised address that elections would occur under a renewed electoral authority, though she did not specify a date.

Machado is calling for elections in 2027. She previously suggested 24 July, the anniversary of Simón Bolívar’s birth, as a potential date. She has since broadened her demand to a vote sometime next year.