The administration of US President Donald Trump announced that several Americans who were detained in Venezuela have been released, the Associated Press reported, BTA reported.
“We welcome the release of the Americans detained in Venezuela“, the State Department said. “This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities“, it added.
The Americans were released after the capture of the country's President Nicolas Maduro in a US special forces operation in Caracas and his forcible transfer to the United States on January 3.
The speaker of the Venezuelan parliament, Jorge Rodriguez, said last week that “a significant number“ Venezuelans and foreigners who are in prisons in the country will be released as a gesture of “seeking peace” after the military operation that ousted Maduro from power.
Rodriguez previously announced that more than 400 political prisoners have been released in the country so far, but human rights organizations indicate that according to their statistics, the number of those released in recent days is much smaller – between 60 and 70 people.