Thirty-nine political prisoners have been released in Venezuela following a second round of US-backed talks between the interim government and opposition representatives. A human rights organisation has said those freed included eight women accused of ‘narco-terrorism’ in 2021 and six people accused of involvement with the USA in a 2020 attempt to overthrow former president Nicolás Maduro. The negotiations follow Maduro’s removal by the USA in January and are being conducted with Washington’s approval. Interim president Delcy Rodríguez introduced an amnesty law in February, although rights organisations have criticised the slow pace of releases. Foro Penal reports that 344 people remained classified as political prisoners on 18 September, compared with 391 in August. Previous negotiations addressed frozen Venezuelan funds, earthquake recovery, and judicial reform. Families of detainees have continued protesting, and human rights groups are urging the government to free all remaining political prisoners.