At least 104 political prisoners in Venezuela were freed on Sunday, a human rights group said.

The prisoners were freed amid pressure from the United States in the wake of the kidnapping and removal of former leftist leader Nicolas Maduro by US forces this month.

Many of the prisoners were opponents of Maduro who were detained during protests against his 2024 election win, which was widely dismissed as fraudulent.

"We have identified 104 releases of political prisoners in Venezuela today," the director of the NGO Foro Penal, Alfredo Romero, said in a post on X.

"We continue to verify other releases from prison. It would be ideal if the government published lists of releases," Romero added.

Why is Venezuela releasing political prisoners?

Under interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who was appointed after her predecessor Maduro's dramatic capture in early January, Venezuela's government has pledged to release a "significant number" of imprisoned opponents of the ousted former leader.

In the days following Maduro's capture, Rodriguez's brother, Jorge — who heads the South American country's National Assembly — said the prisoners would be freed as a goodwill gesture for the sake of "peaceful coexistence."

According to Foro Penal, as of January 19, there were still 777 political prisoners in Venezuela.

The NGO said 143 prisoners have been freed since January 8, when the release was announced.

Caracas says 626 prisoners have been freed since December. Foro Penal, however, has only confirmed about half that amount in that time.

The opposition in Venezuela, as well as human rights groups, have criticized the release process for being too slow.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah