Venezuela has said it would immediately release an “important number” of political prisoners following the US capture of Nicolás Maduro, in an early sign the government is looking to unwind a decade of harsh repression in the Latin American country.
The move comes as Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy and the country’s interim president, aims to stamp her imprint on the new government and show a willingness to collaborate with the US, especially on opening up the oil sector to American companies.
Her brother Jorge, president of the national assembly, on Thursday said that “to collaborate in the effort we must all make for national unity and peaceful coexistence”, the government “has decided to release an important number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals — immediately”.