Venezuela frees 17 political prisoners

Venezuela freed 17 political prisoners, according to the human rights committee of opposition movement Vente Venezuela posted on X.
CLIPPVE, a nongovernmental organization, separately reported the release of ⁠the political prisoners, who included 10 men and seven women from the Zona 7 Prison in Caracas.
Relatives outside the prison joined a hunger strike initiated by prisoners after only 17 of more than 50 detainees were released.
CLIPPVE said the protest is a demand for the government to fulfill a pledge made last week by Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, to grant liberty to everyone held at the center.
Venezuela has been gradually releasing detainees following the January 3 capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States, though the process has drawn criticism from rights groups and families who say the pace has been slow and lacks transparency.