Venezuela said on Monday (January 12, 2026) 116 political prisoners had been released since the government announced last week it would begin freeing those jailed under president Nicolas Maduro, who was seized by U.S. forces in a raid on Caracas.

“These measures have benefited individuals deprived of liberty for acts related to disrupting the constitutional order and undermining the Nation’s stability,” the Ministry of the Penitentiary Service said in a statement.

The statement put the number of those released at 116, although Opposition and rights groups have reported lower figures.

The United States lifted airspace restrictions over the Caribbean late on Saturday (January 3, 2026) after barring commercial flights during a U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Mr. Maduro and his wife were flown by helicopter to New York City, where they face drug-trafficking and weapons charges.

Venezuela-US conflict LIVE updates

They were seized by U.S. special forces during a pre-dawn attack in which air strikes pounded sites in and around the Venezuelan capital Caracas late on Saturday.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a post on social media platform X that the initial restrictions expired at 12:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), when flights could resume as scheduled.

“Airlines are informed, and will update their schedules quickly,” Mr. Duffy said.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration notified commercial airlines on Saturday (January 3, 2026) to avoid Caribbean airspace, citing a “potentially hazardous situation.”

The notice said the closure was issued due to “safety-of-flight risks associated with ongoing military activity.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday (November 15, 2025) slammed new joint military exercises by the United States and its ally Trinidad and Tobago as “irresponsible,” with Washington increasing its armed presence in the Caribbean.

Caracas claims recent U.S. military activity in the region — which Washington says is directed against drug gangs — is really a ploy to overthrow leftist leader Maduro.

This is the second joint training exercise carried out by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in less than a month.

In October, a U.S. guided missile destroyer docked at Trinidad for four days for another round of practice drills — within firing range of Venezuela, whose government called it a “provocation.”

“The government of Trinidad and Tobago has once again announced irresponsible exercises, lending its waters off the coast of Sucre state for military exercises that are intended to be threatening to a republic like Venezuela, which does not allow itself to be threatened by anyone,” Mr. Maduro said during an event in Caracas on Saturday.

Mr. Maduro called on his supporters in the eastern states of the country to hold “a vigil and a permanent march in the streets” during the military maneuvers, scheduled for November 16-21.

The United States has deployed warships, fighter jets and thousands of soldiers to Latin America in recent weeks and launched strikes on 21 alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing at least 80 people.

No evidence provided by Washington

Washington has provided no evidence those targeted were traffickers, and rights observer groups say the strikes are illegal regardless.

On Tuesday, a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group also arrived in the region, prompting Caracas to announce a “massive” retaliatory deployment.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced a military operation aimed at “narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere,” but it was unclear how it might differ from the existing U.S. military deployment.

Russia is prepared to respond to Venezuela’s requests for assistance, while urging against any escalation of tension in the region, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday (November 7, 2025).

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has appealed to Moscow for military support, including repairs to Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets, upgrades to radar systems, and the delivery of missile systems.

The request was made in response to what Caracas views as growing threats from Washington, which has built up a large military presence in the Caribbean in recent months.

Personnel from a U.S. warship boarded a Venezuelan tuna boat with nine fishermen while it was sailing in Venezuelan waters, Venezuela’s Foreign Minister said on Saturday (September 13, 2025), underlining strained relations with the United States.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tensions between the two nations escalated after U.S. President Donald Trump in August ordered the deployment of warships in the Caribbean, off the coast of the South American country, citing the fight against Latin American drug cartels.

While reading a statement on Saturday (September 13, 2025), Foreign Minister Yván Gil told journalists the Venezuelan tuna boat was “illegally and hostilely boarded by a United States Navy destroyer” and 18 armed personnel who remained on the vessel for eight hours, preventing communication and the fishermen’s normal activities. They were then released under escort by the Venezuelan navy.

The fishing boat had authorisation from the Ministry of Fisheries to carry out its work, Gil said at a press conference, during which he presented a video of the incident.

“Those who give the order to carry out such provocations are seeking an incident that would justify a military escalation in the Caribbean,” Mr. Gil said, adding that the objective is to “persist in their failed policy” of regime change in Venezuela.

Venezuela on extrajudicial killings

Mr. Gil said the incident was “illegal” and “illegitimate” and warned that Venezuela will defend its sovereignty against any “provocation.” The Venezuelan Foreign Minister’s complaint comes days after Mr. Trump said that his country had attacked a drug-laden vessel and killed 11 people on board. Mr. Trump said the vessel had departed from Venezuela and was carrying members of the Tren de Aragua gang, but his administration has not presented any evidence to support that claim.

Venezuela accused the United States of committing extrajudicial killings. The South American country’s interior minister, Diosdado Cabello, said Washington’s version is “a tremendous lie” and suggested that, according to Venezuelan government investigations, the incident could be linked to the disappearance of some individuals in a coastal region of the country who had no ties to drug trafficking.

The Trump administration has accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of leading a cartel to flood the U.S. with drugs, and doubled the reward for his capture from $25 million to $50 million.

The U.S. government has given no indication that it plans to carry out a ground incursion with the more than 4,000 troops being deployed in the area.

But the Venezuelan government has nonetheless called on its citizens to enlist in the militias – armed volunteers – in support of its security forces in the event of a potential incursion. On Saturday (September 13, 2025), it urged them to go to military barracks for training sessions.