An American once held hostage by Venezuela’s brutal regime on Monday called on the country’s de facto leader, Delcy Rodriguez, to immediately free the five US citizens still being held in Caracas — saying it would be the clearest sign yet that she’s willing to work with Washington.

“I’d like to call on interim President Delcy Rodriguez to release the five Americans immediately as a show of goodwill,” Marine Corps veteran Matthew Heath told The Post.

Heath, who was jailed during Nicolás Maduro’s rule on bogus charges and released in 2022, said Americans detained in Venezuela are routinely used as bargaining chips in political standoffs with the US.

Federal agents bring Nicolas Maduro to lower Manhattan so he can attend his arraignment. Matthew McDermottMarine Corps veteran Matthew Heath was once held hostage by Venezuela. Courtesy Heath Family

“They don’t have a real justice system,” he said. “Judges do exactly what they’re told — or they end up in prison themselves.”

Maduro’s government detained more than 40 Americans during his time in power, according to the former prisoner, who said he was personally framed on fabricated charges and subjected to electric shocks and other torture inside Venezuela’s political prison system.

Follow The Post’s live coverage of Nicolás Maduro’s NYC court appearance following his capture

Now free and back in the US since 2022, the former detainee said seeing Maduro face prosecution in an American courtroom on Monday is deeply satisfying.

“He’s going to get a fair trial,” he said. “Something none of us were ever given.”

Nicolas Maduro arrives in lower Manhattan so he can face federal charges on Monday, January 5, 2026. REUTERS

With Maduro gone, he said, Rodriguez has a rare opportunity to signal a break from the past — but warned that authoritarian regimes rarely give up hostages without extracting concessions.

Here’s the latest on Nicolás Maduro’s capture:

“Hope springs eternal,” he said. “But history shows these regimes don’t release detainees unless they get something in return.”

Venezuela’s Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez (C) speaking next to Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez (2nd-L) and Venezuela’s Minister of Interior Relations, Justice, and Peace, Diosdado Cabello (3rd-R) during a council of ministers meeting. Miraflores press office/AFP via Getty Images

Still, he said, freeing the Americans now could open the door to improved relations and help stabilize the country after years of repression and international isolation.

“If she wants to show she’s serious about moving Venezuela forward,” he said, “this is the moment.”

New York Post

Ex-US hostage urges Venezuela’s Delcy Rodriguez to free Americans as proof she’s willing to work with Washington