Venezuelan authorities released 35 key opposition figures from custody on February 8.
The New York Times writes about this.
Among them are former First Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Juan Pablo Guanipa and Nobel laureate Maria Machado Perkins Rochaʼs lawyer. Both were charged with terrorism.
Within hours, Guanipaʼs sonRamon and Maria Machado reported that the former vice speaker had been kidnapped: four cars with armed men in plain clothes had pulled up to him. According to Ramon Guanipa, there were ten of them and they were government officials.
According to the human rights organization Foro Penal, there are still about 650 political prisoners in the country. Interim President Delcy Rodriguez recently announced a general amnesty law. On February 5, the National Assembly unanimously passed a law in its first reading that provides for pardons for participation in protests and criticism of officials. It awaits further consideration.
US operation in Venezuela
On the night of January 3, the United States, acting on the orders of President Donald Trump, struck several military targets in Caracas, Venezuela. In total, at least 11 targets were hit, including the parliament building, air bases, and a seaport.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro declared a state of emergency across the country. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, were later arrested and deported to the United States. Both were charged with narcoterrorism, cocaine importation, illegal possession of machine guns and explosives, and conspiracy against the United States.
The Supreme Court of Venezuela appointed Delcy Rodriguez as the interim head of state. And on the evening of January 3, Nicolas Maduro was taken to the federal detention center, the Metropolitan Detention Center, in New York.
The first trial of Maduro and his wife took place in New York on January 5. The next one is scheduled for March 17.
Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said 100 people were killed in the U.S. operation on January 3. Venezuelan officials said a large part of Maduroʼs security service was "killed in cold blood", while Cuba said 32 of its soldiers and intelligence officers were killed in Venezuela, and their bodies have been returned.
On January 10, Donald Trump said that the United States is ready to sell Venezuelan oil to Russia, China and other countries. According to him, buyers will be able to receive oil in any volume.
Already on January 15, CNN, citing sources, wrote that the United States had for the first time officially sold oil from Venezuela for $500 million.
On January 24, Trump said that during the operation, the US used a secret weapon called the Disorientator, which neutralized Venezuelan defense systems, including Chinese and Russian ones. Previously, The New York Times, citing sources, wrote that the Russian air defense systems in service with Venezuela were not working because they were not connected to radars, and some components remained in warehouses.
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