The Government of Nicaragua, co-chaired by Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo, announced this Saturday the release of “dozens of people” who remained detained, among them, several political prisoners, as confirmed by agencies such as EFE and several local media.
The release occurs on the anniversary of the Executive’s 19 years in power and amid pressure from the United States.
“The Presidential People announce to Nicaragua Blessed and Always Free, that on the occasion of the Commemoration of our 19th Anniversary, dozens of People who remained in the protection of the Pertinent Authorities have returned to their Homes and Families,” the Nicaraguan Government reported in a statement.
Venezuela took an important step towards peace by releasing a large number of political prisoners. In Nicaragua, more than 60 people remain unjustly detained or missing, including pastors, religious workers, the sick and the elderly. Peace is only possible with freedom! https://t.co/XKoDmuvNJ8
— USEmbassy Nicaragua (@USEmbNicaragua) January 9, 2026
According to the note, “this activity is a Symbol of our invariable Commitment to Encounter, Peace and the Right of all to a respectful, and peaceful family and community coexistence.”
A group of opponents
The Nicaraguan Government did not provide details of the releases, but the Spanish agency was able to confirm with their families the release of at least seven opponents, including Jessica Palacios, Mauricio Alonso, Mario Rodríguez Serrano, Pedro López, María José Rojas and Óscar Velásquez.
Also released would have been the Nicaraguan evangelical pastor and cancer survivor Rudy Palacios, in custody since July 17, 2025 and for whom the United States Government had advocated for his release, while the Nicaraguan Attorney General’s Office had branded him a “criminal”, “coup plotter” and “evildoer”, accusing him of having attempted, along with other detainees, “a disastrous coup d’état”.
The local media Divergent confirmed the release of at least 30 political prisoners, while so far the Reflection Group of Released Political Prisoners (GREX) has confirmed 19, and the Mechanism for the Recognition of Political Prisoners of Nicaragua has confirmed 20, according to separate statements.
With Venezuela in the mirror
This release of prisoners occurs a day after the United States embassy in Managua recalled that after the “important step” taken by Venezuela to release “a large number of political prisoners”, in Nicaragua there are also “more than 60 people” who are still “unjustly detained or missing”, a message that came after the capture in a US military mission of Nicolás Maduro, an ally of the Nicaraguan Government.
The publication was accompanied by the Spanish version of a publication by US President Donald Trump in Truth Social, in which he celebrated that Venezuela was releasing “a large number of political prisoners as a sign of ‘the search for peace’.”
Before the message from the US embassy, the Nicaraguan opposition political movement Unión Democratica Renovadora (Unamos) also recalled that “in Nicaragua there are more than 60 people imprisoned for political reasons,” demanding “their freedom” as soon as possible, as cited by the Spanish agency.
