{"id":2536414,"date":"2026-01-14T11:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuela-releases-imprisoned-americans-in-important-step-in-the-right-direction-9\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T11:58:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T16:58:35","slug":"venezuela-releases-imprisoned-americans-in-important-step-in-the-right-direction-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuela-releases-imprisoned-americans-in-important-step-in-the-right-direction-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuela Releases Imprisoned Americans in &#8216;Important Step in the Right Direction&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvenezuela-releases-imprisoned-americans-in-important-step-in-the-right-direction-9%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2536414&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Venezuela has begun releasing a number of political detainees, including several U.S. citizens, as part of a promised large-scale prisoner release. Human rights groups say there is a discrepancy between government claims and actual releases-only 56 of the 116 people the authorities said were freed appear to have been released-and CNN estimates the government still holds more than 800 political prisoners. The U.S. State Department confirmed some Americans were freed but did not give numbers or names; Venezuelan officials framed the move as a step to &#8220;seek peace.&#8221; Families and opposition figures insist all political prisoners must be released unconditionally; relatives of still-detained opposition leader Freddy Superlano demanded continued pressure.Named among those freed are human rights attorney Roc\u00edo San Miguel, opposition leader Biagio Pilieri, former presidential candidate Enrique M\u00e1rquez, and Italian businessman Marco Burl\u00f2, who described his detention as a &#8220;pure and real kidnapping.&#8221; The releases have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minneapolis-ex-cop-chauvin-convicted-of-murder-in-floyd-case\/\" title=\"Minneapolis Ex-Cop Chauvin Convicted of Murder in Floyd Case\">drawn international attention<\/a> and mixed responses, with U.S. and Venezuelan statements characterizing the action as a positive, though incomplete, growth.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Venezuela has freed several Americans who were detained during what the country&rsquo;s leaders have promised will be a large release of political prisoners.<\/p>\n<p>However, as noted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/01\/12\/americas\/venezuela-political-prisoners-proof-of-life-latam-intl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/venezuela-releases-imprisoned-americans-in-important-step-in-the-right-direction\/\" title=\"... ...s Imprisoned Americans in &#039;... in the Right Direction&#039;\">human rights group estimated<\/a> that only 56 of the 116 people Venezuelan authorities said were freed have actually been released.<\/p>\n<p>CNN estimated the number of political prisoners held by the government is more than 800.<\/p>\n<p>The State Department confirmed the release of several Americans without providing a number or the identities of those freed, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/venezuela\/venezula-americans-released-prison-maduro-capture-delcy-rodriguez-rcna253979\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&ldquo;Venezuela is releasing large numbers of political prisoners as a sign of &ldquo;<br \/> &lsquo;Seeking Peace.&rsquo; This is a very important and smart gesture. The U.S.A. and Venezuela are working well together&hellip;&rdquo; &ndash; President Donald J. Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/AxEDLQoKAc\">pic.twitter.com\/AxEDLQoKAc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WhiteHouse\/status\/2009590847768277392?\">January 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A State Department official called the release of detained Americas &ldquo;an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Last week, Jorge Rodriguez, the head of Venezuela&rsquo;s National Assembly and brother of Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez, said many prisoners would be freed as a step to &ldquo;seek peace.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>At that time, Christopher Hernandez-Roy, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said there were four &ldquo;unlawfully detained&rdquo; Americans held.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Thanks to this man, Donald J. Trump, political prisoners are being released in Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>People who were being tortured.<\/p>\n<p>Blessed be the peacemakers. Peace through strength. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dRSVUor5gM\">pic.twitter.com\/dRSVUor5gM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Daniel Di Martino &#127482;&#127480;&#127483;&#127466; (@DanielDiMartino) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DanielDiMartino\/status\/2009331563012719095?\">January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Families of political prisoners are calling for all of them to be freed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are demanding the full and unconditional release of all political prisoners, not just a specific number,&rdquo; Aurora de Superlano, the wife of prisoner Freddy Superlano, said. Her husband is an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >opposition political figure<\/a> who is still behind bars.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We are applying the necessary pressure and carrying out the necessary activities within what we, as a nation, are able to do. All of our efforts are aimed at contributing to the freedom of all the political prisoners in our country,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>The identities of some who have been released were made known by the <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/venezuela-prisoners-released-us-maduro-rodriguez-7dc52c3ed6251f561b7754fd50182588\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Human rights attorney Roc&iacute;o San Miguel, opposition political leader Biagio Pilieri, and former presidential candidate Enrique M&aacute;rquez were among those freed.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"es\">Machado urges Pope Leo to support release of Venezuelan prisoners <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/T8o4wEl0rR\">https:\/\/t.co\/T8o4wEl0rR<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mTfmIJPCwr\">pic.twitter.com\/mTfmIJPCwr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pope news (@Pope_news) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Pope_news\/status\/2011084192252334082?\">January 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Italian businessman Marco Burl&ograve; was freed Monday and arrived in Rome on Tuesday, saying his arrest was a &ldquo;pure and real kidnapping.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say that I was physically abused, but without being able to talk to our children, without the right to defense, without being able to speak to the lawyer, completely isolated, here they thought that I might have died,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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