The Venezuelan government released 71 people who had been imprisoned since the protests that followed the 2024 presidential elections.

The detainees were released in the early hours of Thursday, December 25, according to two organizations made up of relatives of people arrested for reasons.

“Mothers, relatives, and friends have reported the release of at least 60 people from Tocoron prison (Aragua state), as well as 9 female political prisoners detained in Las Crisalidas, and 3 teenagers from La Guaira," the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners stated in a press release. The organization added that "every name removed from the lists of unjust imprisonment represents a victory for truth and hope." For its part, the Committee of Mothers in Defense of the Truth mentioned “65 men who were imprisoned in Tocoron, 3 women in Las Crisalidas, and 3 teenagers in La Guaira.” “It is an important achievement, but insufficient; Therefore, we demand the full freedom of all through a General Amnesty,” the Committee stated in its press release, emphasizing that “injustice continues to affect hundreds of families throughout the country.” According to these organizations, The process of releasing prisoners had been stalled for several months, prompting repeated public calls for a review of the detainees' cases. The mothers of some of those arrested had warned that no new releases had been recorded since March. The arrests occurred in the context of the political crisis that erupted after the presidential elections of July 28, 2024, when the electoral body proclaimed the reelection of Nicolas Maduro, amidst accusations of fraud by the opposition, which claimed victory for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia and presented evidence of his triumph by publishing the voting records. Following the elections, more than 2,400 people were arrested—although most were later released—and charged by the Public Prosecutor's Office with serious crimes such as terrorism.

Non-governmental organizations and opposition groups, for their part, considered them political prisoners, something the Maduro administration denies.

The release of 71 prisoners comes amid intense US pressure on the Maduro government.

In recent weeks, the Donald Trump administration has hardened its strategy against Caracas with new isolation measures, including strengthened actions to block Venezuelan oil exports and an intensified military deployment in the Caribbean Sea.