Human rights activist first confirmed prisoner released in Venezuela

Venezuelan‑Spanish human rights activist Rocio San Miguel has been freed as part of a prisoner release in Venezuela, according to a source in the Spanish government and another in the Venezuelan opposition.

San Miguel, an expert on security, defense, and Venezuela’s military, is the first confirmed liberation following an announcement earlier in the day by Venezuela’s top lawmaker, Jorge Rodriguez, that a significant number of both foreign and Venezuelan prisoners would be released in the coming hours.

The move comes amid political turmoil in Caracas after the U.S. ouster of President Nicolás Maduro, his arraignment in New York on narcoterrorism charges, the swearing in of Interim President Delcy Rodríguez and U.S. plans to refine and sell up to 50 million barrels of Venezuelan crude under sanctions.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate advanced a resolution barring President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval, setting the stage for further consideration in the 100‑member chamber.

Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who has several close allies imprisoned, has repeatedly demanded releases.

Venezuela's opposition and human rights groups have said for years that the government uses detentions to stamp out dissent and silence critics and that arbitrary legal proceedings against activists, journalists, opposition politicians, and others increased ahead of, during, and after the disputed 2024 elections, which the opposition and some international observers say the opposition won by a landslide.

Attorney General Tarek Saab and others in the government have repeatedly denied that Venezuela holds political prisoners, with Saab saying those detained were arrested for various crimes.

San Miguel was detained in February 2024 at Maiquetia international airport near the capital city of Caracas, in an arrest widely condemned on social media by opposition politicians and human rights groups.

Venezuelan authorities said they arrested some 2,000 people for their role in protests after the election and despite several mass releases, leading local rights group Foro Penal estimates there are 863 political prisoners in the country, including people arrested before the vote.

That figure includes at least 86 foreign detainees, some of whom are facing criminal charges, from the United States, Spain and other countries.

Spain's Foreign Ministry said in an earlier statement it welcomed the release of five Spanish citizens, one of whom holds dual nationality, who are now preparing to travel to Spain, but did not give names. It added that the releases were "a positive step in the new phase that Venezuela is entering."