Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado called on global democratic leaders Sunday to secure the immediate release of political prisoners in Venezuela, as the country grappled with a leadership crisis following the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. special operations forces.

Machado, who was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her tireless advocacy for democratic rights, thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his public backing. Writing on the social media platform X, she described the freedom of those detained under the previous administration as a "decisive" priority.

"Thank you very much, President Macron. The freedom of ALL political prisoners is our immediate priority," Machado said. "I ask the heads of State and Government and all the democrats of the world to support us in this decisive hour. Venezuela will be free."

Macron confirmed he had spoken with Machado, stating that he fully endorsed her plea for the "liberation and the protection of the political prisoners of Nicolas Maduro's regime." He added that France remains committed to a "peaceful, democratic transition that fully respects the sovereign will of the Venezuelan people."

The international appeal comes a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced "Operation Absolute Resolve," a pre-dawn military strike on Saturday that resulted in the apprehension of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Caracas. U.S. authorities later released video showing the deposed leader in handcuffs as he was taken into custody to face narcoterrorism charges in a New York court.

In the power vacuum following the raid, Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Saturday night ordered Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to assume the role of acting president. The court ruled that Maduro faced a "material and temporary impossibility to exercise his functions" and tasked Rodríguez with ensuring "administrative continuity and the comprehensive defence of the nation."

While Rodríguez was sworn in, she later appeared on state television claiming that Maduro remained the country's "only president." Under Venezuela's constitution, the vice president must step in during a president's absolute or temporary absence.

The U.S. operation follows months of escalating military pressure. Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton told CNN that while a plan to remove Maduro existed during Trump’s first term, it had stalled because officials could not keep the president "focused" on the objective. Bolton noted that Trump’s primary interest at the time was "the Venezuelan oil."

The recent regime change effort, which Trump characterised as a "large-scale strike," was conducted without prior congressional approval. Following the capture, Trump stated the United States would "run" Venezuela until a secure transition could be established and predicted that American companies would be "very strongly involved" in the nation’s oil sector.

With inputs from ANI