Some of you have written to me asking me for another update on the Venezuelan political prisoners. I know there's a lot of confusion surrounding this topic, so here's the news as of Monday night.
On Monday, the Venezuelan regime announced that it had released 116 new political prisoners.
But it didn't actually do that.
As I reported on Sunday, only 17 had been released, and as of Monday night around 10:15 p.m. Eastern, the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal confirmed that 56 have been released, which isn't even half of what the regime claims.
There are still around 800, possibly up to 1,000 detained, assuming they're still alive. At least one of the prisoners has died while being held in these "torture centers." The regime claims it's from health problems, but the family and opposition leaders claim it was due to the deplorable conditions inside the prisons.
Keep in mind that most of these people's only crimes were not supporting Maduro or Chavismo. They were jailed for things like voting for the opposition, making social media posts in favor of the opposition, or joining peaceful protests. Some were even arrested for simply being related to an opposition leader or party. The regime charges them with crimes such as terrorism and treason, and manipulates laws so that kangaroo courts can find them guilty and sentence them to years locked away.
Their freedom has been a top priority for opposition leaders and journalists, as well as many here in the United States. The GOP side of the House Foreign Affairs Committee posted a picture of el Helicoide, a shopping mall turned prison in Caracas, and demanded the release of every individual held hostage.
Over 800 individuals are still being held hostage by the Venezuelan regime.
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) January 12, 2026
Caracas must continue releasing all political prisoners. pic.twitter.com/7B0kUnvyYr
Several members of Congress have also spoken out on the matter. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has been especially vocal and has been highlighting many of their stories on social media.
DON'T FORGET: Diosdado Cabello and Padrino López are still holding political prisoners captive, including innocent men like Rafael García Marvez. Rafael is a 79-year-old husband, father, and grandfather. He doesn't deserve this.
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) January 12, 2026
If Delcy Rodríguez is serious about cooperating…
Even the United Nations is calling for their release. I guess a broken clock is right twice a day.
The regime first announced that it would free a "significant number" of political prisoners on Thursday, and Donald Trump echoed that on Friday. Someone is stalling.
While there is fear that many of the prisoners are either dead or in such bad shape that they can't release them, the regime itself is showing signs of an internal struggle, particularly between the interim narco-"president" Delcy Rodríguez and Maduro's Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
Like Maduro, Cabello is a major leader of Cartel de los Soles, and he controls the country's internal security, intelligence, repression, and torture networks. He's also a wanted man in the United States, with a $25 million reward for his arrest. When all of this is over, I think he'll end up sitting in a prison cell next to Maduro, if he even makes it out alive, but we'll talk more about that in a future article that I'm working on; tonight, I'm just focusing on the political prisoners.
So basically Rodríguez is trying to work with Trump and Marco Rubio, doing what they say, most likely in hopes that she buys herself a nice quiet future in Europe or the Middle East, but Cabello, who really has nothing to lose, is making that very hard for her. Many believe he's the reason the prisoners aren't being released in a timely manner, and according to a senior Venezuelan military official who spoke to the Miami Herald, "The prisoner releases are the first battlefield in a much bigger war."
Here's more (and I wouldn't typically trust unnamed sources, but I'm hearing the same things from people whom I trust):
According to multiple sources inside and outside Venezuela, Cabello has effectively halted the prisoner release process by blocking the execution of court orders authorizing their freedom — a move that underscores the depth of the internal rupture.
'This is much more serious than a political disagreement,' said Antonio De La Cruz, president of the Washington-based advisory firm Inter American Trends. 'He is stopping legitimate judicial orders from being carried out. That tells you how raw this power struggle has become.;
De La Cruz said Cabello is using the stalled releases to send a direct message to Rodríguez.
That message is that she needs to work with him, not Trump. De La Cruz also told the Herald that Cabello seems to think that someone else is looking out for him: the U.S. Senate. In Cabello's mind, all of the people in the Senate bringing these War Powers resolutions to a vote and bashing Trump for arresting Maduro will stop the president from taking any further action.
Human rights lawyer Tamara Suju told the Herald that she believes the problem is that the regime was "caught with its pants down."
"Each of them inside the regime has their own quota of prisoners, which they treat like war trophies. Being forced to release them — as the Trump administration has demanded — is a slap in the face for them," she said.
Cabello has been doing his state TV program from what many say is a bunker, and on Tuesday, he had plenty of propaganda to spew. On the topic of the State Department team spending time in Caracas to assess whether it could reopen the U.S. embassy, he said they were only doing so as some sort of way to monitor and protect Maduro and Cilia Flores while they're detained in the United States. On the topic of the Colectivos, who are, according to the U.S. Embassy in Colombia, setting up check points and searching for anyone who is an American citizen or pro-American, Cabello claims that there is no such thing happening.
Meanwhile, opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Tuesday. She said she asked for his help in freeing the political prisoners.
Pope Leo XIV with María Corina Machado this morning. pic.twitter.com/KUPUKiaaaq
— Catholic Sat (@CatholicSat) January 12, 2026
"Today, I had the blessing and honor of being able to share with His Holiness and express our gratitude for his monitoring of events in our country," Machado said of the visit. "I also conveyed to him the strength of the Venezuelan people, who remain firm and in prayer for Venezuela’s freedom, and I asked him to intercede for all Venezuelans who remain kidnapped and disappeared."
Machado will be in the United States later this week, and the White House has confirmed that she will meet with President Trump on Thursday.
I'm going to leave you with a few clips and pictures of the families of the political prisoners camped outside the facilities, waiting for what they've been promised by the regime. These videos have touched me deeply over the last few days, both because I feel strongly for the people and because I see how easy it would be our country to fall into a situation like this. If nothing else, they could use your prayers.
Families of political prisoners are spending the night outside Venezuela’s most notorious torture center, demanding freedom for nearly 1,000 innocent people.
— Emiliana Duarte (@emiduarte) January 12, 2026
In a county under extreme repression, this vigil is unprecedented, and extraordinarily courageous. #QueSeanTodos pic.twitter.com/090oTiTwpm
🚨 #VigiliaPorLaLibertad
— Vente Venezuela (@VenteVenezuela) January 10, 2026
📍Desde la cárcel de El Rodeo I y la PNB de Zona 7, familiares de presos políticos cantan el himno nacional y se unen en oración por la libertad de TODOS.
La exigencia es clara:
¡Libertad para los presos políticos! 🇻🇪#QueSeanTodos pic.twitter.com/9pSEHptb9k
A esta hora de hoy, 12 de enero, familiares de presos políticos permanecen firmes frente a:
— Vente Venezuela (@VenteVenezuela) January 13, 2026
📍 Zona 7
📍 El Helicoide
📍 Rodeo I
Con velas, oraciones y dignidad, exigen la liberación inmediata de todos los detenidos injustamente.
Es la voz de un país que no se retira y que… pic.twitter.com/D1vROkTI47
‼️ ¡YA BASTA!
— Vente Venezuela (@VenteVenezuela) January 12, 2026
⚠️ Cientos de venezolanos siguen secuestrados mientras sus familias viven entre la angustia y la espera. Cada hora que pasa es una injusticia que se acumula.
La exigencia es clara y urgente: libertad inmediata para todos los presos políticos.#QueSeanTodos pic.twitter.com/q3rWhkTO5h
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