Venezuela, Pilieri and Gasperin released. Hope for Trentini

The President of the Venezuelan Assembly then announced that details on the identity and number of those freed would be announced at a later date and thanked former Spanish government President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the government of Qatar for the mediation that had made this decision possible.

Rodríguez stressed that this initiative was not an isolated event, but a deliberate action aimed at reducing tensions. "Consider this unilateral gesture by the government as the contribution that we all have to make so that our Republic can continue on its path of peaceful life and pursuit of prosperity," his words reported by Venezuelan media.

Release procedures were started immediately after the announcement. The latest balance sheet of the NGO Foro Penal indicates that there are 863 political prisoners in Venezuela, 86 of whom are foreigners or have dual citizenship. Among them is the Italian Alberto Trentini, detained in Venezuela for over 400 days.

Five Spanish prisoners, four with Spanish citizenship only, one with dual Spanish-Venezuelan citizenship, were released in Venezuela. This was reported by El Pais. The released detainees, it writes, are Andrés Martínez Adasme, José María Basoa, Miguel Moreno, Ernesto Gorbe and the Spanish-Venezuelan Rocío San Miguel. Diplomatic sources confirm this.

Venezuela's release of detainees is an 'example' of Donald Trump's 'influence'. The White House states that.

Among the detainees freed by Venezuela are Rocío San Miguel, an expert on Venezuelan military affairs, and Enrique Márquez, former presidential candidate and prominent figure in the opposition to Chavismo. El Pais reports. According to the prosecution, San Miguel took part in a plot to assassinate Maduro, a flimsy case according to human rights organisations, while Márquez had opposed the recognition of Maduro's victory in the last presidential election, in July 2024, and had been in prison ever since.

In addition to Alberto Trentini, there would be 27 other compatriots involved for reasons related to politics, professional activity or the expression of opinions considered inconvenient to Maduro's government.

Among the most notorious cases are Daniel Enrique Echenagucia, an entrepreneur from Avellino, who was arrested with his family on 2 August 2024. Released by his family, he disappeared for weeks. After his enforced disappearance, he is now detained in El Rodeo I, almost in a state of total isolation.

For more than a year, Mario Burlò, a businessman from Turin, has also been in prison, detained according to his family for no clear reason. Burlò was supposed to have left in 2024 to go to Venezuela to explore new business opportunities, but never returned. "I haven't seen him since November 2024. He had told me he was leaving for Venezuela,' his daughter said in an interview with the Turin-based Corriere della Sera, claiming she had only heard from him in 'last October, after eleven months without any contact'. The family spoke of a 'very brief' call. 'We didn't say much to each other. Obviously the conversation was controlled. I'm sure of it, because I could hear in the background a voice saying in Spanish: 'Tres minutos, dos minutos, un minuto más...'. We talked a little about our things and how much we missed each other', the words reported by the Corsera.

But the list does not stop at Burlò. In fact, there are many Italians in the infamous El Helicoide prison facility in Caracas, infamous for its isolation and harsh interrogations: Gerardo Coticchia Guerra, Juan Carlos Marruffo Capozzi, Perkins Rocha and Hugo Marino, the latter of whom died in 2019. They too are on the list of Italian citizens detained for political reasons. Their stories highlight long weeks of isolation and uncertainty, difficulties in communicating with their families and serious health risks.

In the past, Amerigo De Grazia, a Calabrese and opponent of President Maduro, had also been detained for over a year before being released in August 2025. The announcement from Caracas has therefore kindled hope. The prospect of his release or safe return home is now the focus of diplomatic monitoring and international initiatives.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is in a meeting at the Farnesina, in contact with the ambassador in Caracas, with the consular network in Venezuela and with representatives of the Church and civil society to speed up the release of the Italian citizens and to confirm the news about the first releases. In addition to the case of Alberto Trentini, the minister is pressing for a solution to the cases of all the detained Italians. "At the moment, the government has put in place actions that can guarantee a favourable solution for every single detainee," the Farnesina emphasises.

The US Senate voted (52 to 47) to prevent President Donald Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela. The measure, known as the War Powers Resolution, needed only a simple majority to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate and requires Trump to obtain congressional approval before using the military in Venezuela again. It was introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. The measure now goes to the House, where the Republicans have a slim majority.

If the resolution on war powers in Venezuela is passed Donald Trump will veto it. This was stated by the White House, according to Bloomberg news agency.

The US seized another oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea. The Olina was previously called the Minerva M and had been sanctioned by the US for its role in transporting Russian oil. The new seizure risks further exacerbating tensions between Washington and Moscow just days after the boarding of the oil tanker Marinera in international waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Just today, accepting Moscow's urging, Trump had decided to release two Russian citizens who were part of the Marinera's crew. A move 'welcomed' by the Kremlin.

Donald Trump sharply attacked the five Republican senators who voted with the Democrats in favour of a bipartisan resolution on the War Powers Act, which would prevent the Administration from using military force against Venezuela. "Republicans should be ashamed of the senators who just voted with Democrats in an attempt to strip us of our powers to fight and defend the United States of America. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley and Todd Young should never again be elected to public office," the president said in a post on Truth. "This vote severely impedes American self-defense and national security by limiting the President's authority as Commander in Chief," he added. "In any event, and despite their 'stupidity,' the War Powers Act is unconstitutional, completely violating Article II of the Constitution, as all presidents and their Justice Departments before me have ruled," the president argued. A final vote on the measure is scheduled for next week.

Only 10 Venezuelans and foreigners have been released from prison since the Venezuelan government's announcement. This is denounced by the Venezuelan NGO Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness, speaking of about one thousand prisoners who should be released. 'The lack of transparency of the authorities, who have not officially published a list of those who will be released, constitutes further mistreatment of the families,' Marino Alvarado, a lawyer and human rights defender, told ANSA. Activists, consulted by ANSA, estimate that the release process will be gradual and continue over the weekend.