MADRID, Spain (AFP)—Venezuela on Thursday freed five Spaniards in a large prisoner release seen as a concession to the United States after the ouster of president Nicolas Maduro, Spain’s foreign ministry said.

“The government of Spain welcomes the liberation today in Caracas of five Spaniards, one of them a dual national, who are preparing to travel to Spain,” the ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told public radio RNE that they included prominent Spanish-Venezuelan activist Rocio San Miguel.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that the Spanish citizens had been held for more than a year in the South American country.

The prisoner release was “an act of justice and a necessary step to foster dialogue and reconciliation between Venezuelans”, Sanchez added.

Venezuela’s parliament speaker Jorge Rodriguez had said “a significant number of Venezuelan and foreign nationals” were being immediately freed for the sake of “peaceful coexistence”, without specifying their number or identity.

The releases are the first since Maduro’s former deputy Delcy Rodriguez became interim leader after a deadly overnight US military operation last weekend captured the ex-Venezuelan leader and brought him to New York to face trial on drug-related charges.

Delcy Rodriguez has the backing of US President Donald Trump, who said he was content to let her govern as long as Caracas gives Washington access to its plentiful oil.