US Presses Venezuela to Free Remaining Political Detainees

The United States urged Venezuela to release over 300 remaining political prisoners after more than 1,000 were freed following a January military raid that deposed Nicolás Maduro. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Venezuelan counterpart Oliver Blanco and demanded their immediate liberation while discussing election reforms. Opposition leader María Corina Machado renewed her calls for total freedom during a demonstration in Guatire alongside relatives of detainees arrested after the disputed 2024 presidential election, which independent observers deemed undemocratic.