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Venezuela releases Spanish political prisoners from hellhole prison
Five Spanish nationals are among dozens who have been freed as Venezuela signals a shift in direction following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro
Venezuela has begun releasing dozens of political prisoners, including five Spanish nationals, in what has been described as a unilateral gesture of goodwill following the dramatic arrest of President Nicolás Maduro by US forces on January 3.
The first group of released prisoners is already travelling to Spain with the assistance of the Spanish embassy in Caracas. They include two men from Bilbao, José María Basoa and Andrés Martínez Adasme, a man from the Canary Islands, Miguel Moreno, Ernesto Gorbe from Valencia, and Rocío San Miguel, a woman with dual Venezuelan and Spanish nationality.
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed that he had spoken personally with all five and said they were “already flying to Spain” and would soon be reunited with their families.
Their release follows a US military operation last Saturday that resulted in Maduro being seized in Caracas and transferred to New York to face drug trafficking and other criminal charges, an extremely controversial unilateral action by the USA that many observers note contravenes international law and sets a dangerous precedent for future inter-state relations.
In the wake of the operation, an interim government led by Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in before the National Assembly. Despite being a key figure in the former Chavista leadership, Rodríguez’s administration has signalled a willingness to cooperate with the United States and to make sweeping changes.
US President Donald Trump announced that he had “given orders to close that prison”, referring to El Helicoide, a notorious detention centre associated with torture and abuse. While human rights groups welcomed the announcement, they warned that closing one prison should not distract from conditions in others.
Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, announced the release of a “significant number” of political prisoners. “It is a unilateral gesture of peace and was not agreed upon with any other party. We want our Republic to have a peaceful life,” he said.
Human rights organisations, however, caution that the scale of political detention remains severe. The NGO Foro Penal counts 902 political prisoners, while the group Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness puts the figure at over a thousand. Both have documented unsanitary conditions, denial of medical care and serious physical deterioration among detainees.
Who are the five Spaniards released by Venezuela?
Basoa, 35, and Martínez Adasme, 32, were arrested in September 2024 and accused of belonging to Spain’s intelligence service and plotting attacks against Maduro. Their families have consistently denied the claims, saying they were visiting Venezuela as tourists.
Miguel Moreno, 34, was detained in June 2025 after Venezuelan authorities intercepted a marine exploration vessel in disputed waters. Gorbe, 52, was arrested in 2024 after his visa expired, while Rocío San Miguel, a prominent human rights activist, was detained in early 2024 on conspiracy charges.
President of the government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, welcomed the releases, calling them “an act of justice and a necessary step to promote dialogue and reconciliation among Venezuelans”.
Although five Spaniards have now been freed, Spain’s Foreign Ministry says at least fourteen Spanish nationals remain arbitrarily detained in Venezuela.
Human rights groups and opposition figures continue to press for further releases, seeing the latest move as a first step rather than a resolution to Venezuela’s long-running political crisis.
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