Washington, D.C. – January 09, 2026 – Hostage Aid is thankful that Spanish-Venezuelan human rights defender Rocío San Miguel who had been wrongfully detained in Venezuela since February 2024, was released today alongside other Spanish nationals and political prisoners.

San Miguel’s freedom comes as Venezuelan authorities announced the release of a significant number of both foreign and Venezuelan detainees as a gesture toward peace and national reconciliation.

“We are so relieved to learn of the release of all these detainees.” said Nizar Zakka, President of Hostage Aid. “Rocío’s case was an example of the ongoing abuses faced by civil society actors in Venezuela, where human rights defenders, journalists, and political activists have long been at risk of arbitrary arrest and prolonged imprisonment without fair trial. This development is very encouraging.”

Among those who remain in detention in Venezuela are several Americans recently arrested, Alberto Trentini, an Italian aid worker who has been held without formal charges while carrying out humanitarian work, Nahuel Gallo, an Argentinian national whose case has been raised with international legal bodies due to concerns about his disappearance and arbitrary detention, and others.

Hostage Aid urges the Venezuelan government to build on this moment and ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining wrongful detainees and political prisoners in its prisons.