Venezuela has begun releasing political prisoners, a move that could be the first sign the new government is bending to pressure from the United States on the issue. The head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, announced Thursday that the government was freeing an “important number” of prisoners as part of a “unilateral gesture to maintain the peace.” Venezuela holds 800 to 900 political prisoners, according to rights groups, most of them swept up under the leadership of Nicolás Maduro, whom U.S. forces captured Saturday. Rodríguez did not offer details as to who would be released or by when. Diego Casanova, who works on behalf of the families of political prisoners, complained that no official list of those who had been chosen to be freed had been released.

Full report : Venezuela says it is releasing an ‘important number’ of political prisoners.