Venezuela says country calm after US renews travel warning

Bloomberg News on Jan 11, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Venezuela said the country is in "absolute calm, peace and stability” as the U.S. urged its citizens to leave and the opposition reported the death of a political prisoner.

The U.S. advisory, issued after the capture of ousted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, is based on “nonexistent narratives aimed at manufacturing a perception of risk that does not exist,” the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement late Saturday.

Earlier, the U.S. said security conditions in Venezuela were “changing” and urged citizens to exercise extreme caution, citing reports that armed civilian groups known as colectivos had set up road checkpoints to look for signs of U.S. citizenship or support.

Venezuela rejected those claims, saying security checkpoints across the country are operating “normally” and that the government retains full control of all weapons. On Friday, a delegation of U.S. officials led by chargé d’affaires John MacNamara arrived in Caracas as the two countries explore resuming diplomatic relations.

In the weeks before his capture, Maduro’s government — which had freed all imprisoned Americans through a series of prisoner swaps — began arresting U.S. citizens. Among those detained is Johan Benlolo Jiménez, a 41-year-old Venezuelan-born U.S. citizen and Miami-based hairstylist.

Dead official

Venezuela earlier this week began releasing political prisoners in what it described as a peace gesture, prompting President Donald Trump to suspend a planned second wave of attacks. So far, about two dozen detainees have been freed, including five Spanish citizens.

No new releases were confirmed by Sunday morning or early afternoon, and tensions rose among activists and relatives after confirmation that one of the detainees died Saturday at a Caracas police detention center known as Zona 7.

Edinson Torres, a 52-year-old police officer, died while in custody, Venezuela’s opposition coalition said on X. The death “constitutes an extremely serious incident,” the group said, calling for an “immediate, independent and impartial” investigation. Dozens of people gathered Sunday afternoon outside Zona 7 to protest Torres’ death.

Earlier in the day, the Venezuelan government allowed limited visits at some detention centers, including Zona 7 and the notorious Helicoide prison in Caracas, according to Víctor Navarro, a former political prisoner and executive director of the Realidad Helicoide initiative, who spoke in a phone interview.

The rare concession came as pressure mounts from relatives of detainees, who have gathered outside prisons demanding the release of all political prisoners. Many have been staying overnight near the detention centers for several days.

As of Dec. 29, Venezuela held 863 political prisoners, according to Foro Penal, a Caracas-based human rights group. Nearly 90 were foreigners, while 106 were women and 176 were members of the military.

_____