Venezuela in January 2026: the most important developments in society
In January 2026, the removal of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces shaped public life in and around Venezuela. Venezuelans reacted with a mix of hope and fear for the country's future, while emigres celebrated abroad and the small Jewish community watched cautiously. Venezuelan media called for resistance, and supporters rallied in Venezuela. Colombia prepared for a possible influx of Venezuelan refugees, and hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants in the United States faced potential deportation, with the Department of Homeland Security pushing for returns.
Protests against the US operation were held in Mexico, Toronto, Belgium, London and outside the US embassy in South Africa, where the ANC denounced the action and the SACP planned a march. Polls showed Americans split on the operation but opposed to taking control of Venezuela, and public opinion in France was reported to disapprove. The BBC reportedly barred its journalists from using the word kidnapping, and Americans were evenly split on whether to call the event an abduction. Pope Leo said the welfare of Venezuelans must prevail. A surge of AI-generated images and disinformation filled the gap in information, including altered images of Maduro and his wife.
On political prisoners, the Venezuelan government said on 12 January that it had released 116 prisoners, while a human rights group cited a lower figure. Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado asked Pope Leo to press for the release of prisoners and received a positive signal from the Vatican, and a UN panel of independent investigators called for the immediate release of all arbitrarily detained people. Machado also offered to share her Nobel Peace Prize with Donald Trump.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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