Overview
- The interim government announced on Friday that courts, at the Public Ministry's request through the Program for the Peace and Coexistence Democrática, granted measures alternative to detention for 131 people held on politically linked charges.
- Rights groups have independently verified only dozens of individual releases so far, with counts reported between about 40 and 72 as NGOs continue case‑by‑case checks of who left prisons such as El Rodeo I and INOF.
- Those judicial 'alternative measures' can include conditions such as regular reporting or movement limits so they do not necessarily equal unconditional liberty or the dropping of criminal records.
- Among reported beneficiaries is Emirlendris Benítez, a high‑profile detainee whose case has been documented by human‑rights groups as involving torture and serious mistreatment while imprisoned.
- U.S. and Venezuelan officials cite a larger cumulative total of 1,046 releases since January 3, 2026, but independent groups say verification is ongoing and that demands for full, unconditional release and accountability remain central to the talks.