Twentyfour Venezuelans were released this week as part of the prisoner exchange agreement with the United States, Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate María Corina Machado said Thursday.
The United States announced on Wednesday that US President Joe Biden has granted clemency to Colombian businessman Alex Saab, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in exchange for the release of 10 US citizens, at least 20 Venezuelans linked to the opposition, and the extradition of a fugitive Malaysian businessman from the South American country.
U.S. prosecutors accused Saab of diverting about $350 million from Venezuela through the U.S. as part of a scheme that bribed Venezuelan government officials. He denies the accusation.
Machado, in a post on social media, gave no further details about who was released in Venezuela, warning that the opposition still has a difficult road ahead.
“The path to freedom through elections is complex and fraught with dangers,” she said.
The agreement, the result of months of Qatarbrokered negotiations between OPEC member Venezuela and the United States, came after the White House said progress was needed on prisoner releases to further ease sanctions on Caracas.
The easing of measures was announced in October in response to an agreement between the Venezuelan government and the opposition that set some conditions for the 2024 elections.
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