Venezuela interior minister says 896 detainees freed, opposition figure re-arrested

By Kanyshai Butun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Venezuela’s Interior and Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello said Monday that 897 detainees had been released since December -- a figure later revised to 896 after one person was re-arrested for violating release conditions, local media reported.

Cabello said the number was reduced because “one person was arrested again for violating the conditions under which he was released,” El National reported.

He said opposition leader Juan Pablo Guanipa was re-arrested after failing to comply with conditions established for his freedom. Guanipa, who had been detained since May 2025, was taken back into custody hours after his release on Sunday following public remarks and participation in a caravan through detention centers where relatives of political prisoners were holding vigils.

“Some politicians believed they could do whatever they wanted and create chaos in the country by violating the very conditions under which they were given freedom,” Cabello said, stressing that Guanipa’s actions breached the commitments made upon regaining his liberty.

Guanipa had declared to the press that he was committed to national reconciliation “with the truth,” and said Venezuela “has the right to be a free country.” However, authorities said his conduct violated the terms of his release, and he was taken back into custody, potentially under house arrest to “safeguard the criminal proceedings,” prosecutors said.

The releases follow the capture last month of former President Nicolas Maduro by US authorities, an event that reshaped Venezuela’s political landscape.

Since then, Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez -- who previously served as vice president -- has taken steps to reorient the country’s foreign policy, working with the administration of Donald Trump and redirecting oil exports toward the United States, according to The New York Times.