Venezuela’s government has released 88 more people detained after protests following last year’s presidential election, the second mass release in two weeks, as pressure mounts from the United States on President Nicolás Maduro.
The New Year’s Day release follows the freeing of 99 detainees on 26 December, bringing the total number released in recent days to at least 187, according to government figures.
In a statement, authorities said the releases were part of a case review process ordered by President Maduro. However, local rights groups said they had verified the release of at least 55 prisoners, most of them freed from the Tocorón prison in central Venezuela.
Some non-governmental organisations have questioned whether the government has released as many detainees as it claims.
Rights groups estimate that around 900 people remain in detention for political reasons, including arrests made before the July 2024 election.
The government denies holding political prisoners, saying those detained were involved in attempts to destabilise the country.
The releases come amid heightened pressure from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Maduro to leave power, while the United States has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean, carried out strikes on vessels it says were linked to drug trafficking, and seized Venezuelan oil tankers.
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Recent operations by the U.S. military have led some to believe that a decapitating strike is a silver bullet capable of fixing any foreign policy problem swiftly. However, this logic is flawed, and the risks of relying on swift, targeted actions are too great to ignore.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Saturday (7 March), damaging infrastructure and killing at least 10 people, including two children, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.
A 35-year-old former rapper is on track to become Nepal’s next prime minister. Early counting in the elections on Friday (7 March) showed Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was leading in around 100 seats, far ahead of rivals.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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