Venezuela says it has freed 131 political prisoners

The interim government said on Friday that those released had been granted alternatives to incarceration under a Programme for Peace and Democratic Coexistence. The opposition movement Vente Venezuela says it independently verified 43 releases and the rights group Foro Penal at least 40, both well short of the official figure. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the releases a crucial step and wrote that 1,046 Venezuelans have been freed since the United States overthrew and detained Maduro on 3 January this year. The country is now governed by Maduro's former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez.

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