The Executive Branch, unilaterally and at the initiative of the National Council for Sovereignty and Peace, began a massive process of releases to promote peaceful coexistence and national unity. This was a response to those who called for an invasion, military aggression against Venezuela, and promoted violence and division. As noted by Rodríguez, this was a step towards reconciliation. He also stated that he is providing the lists of released individuals, a constant demand from NGOs and the families of political prisoners. Since last December, the Venezuelan government has announced the release of 99 prisoners at Christmas, 88 on New Year's, and 116 last week. Last Thursday, Rodríguez reported the release of a 'significant number' of people, both Venezuelan and foreign, without providing exact figures or conditions. In its Monday statement, the Chavista Executive said the 116 'new releases' were for people linked to 'facts associated with altering the constitutional order and attacking the nation's stability.' The Ministry for Penitentiary Services also stated that these actions are part of the 'comprehensive review of cases' ordered by President Nicolás Maduro, who was captured by US forces on January 3 in Venezuela, and is continued by Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. It was also emphasized that the 116 releases add to the 187 granted in December 2025, although at that time a list of names was also not published, and NGOs demanded precise information on the matter. On Tuesday, the NGO Foro Penal, which counted just over 800 political prisoners in Venezuela as of Sunday, recorded 56 releases, while the Unitary Democratic Platform (PUD), which brings together the majority opposition, registered 76. The President of the National Assembly (AN, Parliament) of Venezuela, Chavista Jorge Rodríguez, stated on Tuesday that more than 400 political prisoners have been released since last December and promised that this will continue as a 'unilateral gesture' by the government of Delcy Rodríguez. 'If we are going to promote peaceful coexistence, we have to rectify, we have to seek mechanisms where it is prudence, the encounter, and to lower the pride a bit, but you (opponents) have to lower the pettiness,' said Rodríguez during a parliamentary session broadcast on the YouTube channel ANTV. The head of the parliament stated that these people are not political prisoners but politicians who committed 'offenses against the law, against the Constitution.'
