Relatives light candles for Colombian prisoners held in Venezuela over 'illogical' charges

Relatives of Colombians detained in Venezuela held a candlelight vigil on Monday (January 12) in Cucuta, Colombia, demanding the immediate release of prisoners they say are being unjustly held by Venezuelan authorities.

Attendees displayed photographs of detainees and held signs calling for their freedom.

According to a flyer distributed at the vigil, 49 prisoners have been released while 771 remain in captivity.

Javier Giraldo, whose 70-year-old father is detained in a Venezuelan prison infirmary, said the terrorism charges against detainees are illogical and called the situation a dictatorship.

Venezuela's government said on Monday that 116 prisoners have so far been released as part of process announced last week, though rights groups reported a lower figure as family members of the detained awaited liberations, with some sleeping outside prisons.

By late afternoon on Monday, Unidad Venezuela, a group of opposition parties, said just 65 people had been freed so far, urging the Venezuelan government in a post on X to "speed up the release process so that the suffering of political prisoners and their families can finally come to an end."

Legal advocacy group Foro Penal had a count of just 49.

The dripfeed of releases comes after a week of political turmoil in Caracas following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro by the United States, and his appearance in a New York court on drug trafficking charges.

-Camilo Cohecha, Lucas Molet and Hugo Monnet/Reuters