MIAMI, United States. – After the July 28 elections in Venezuela, the number of political prisoners of the Venezuelan regime Nicolas Maduro has increased sixfold, according to complaints from several human rights organizations operating in the South American country. According to the NGO Foro Penalthere are currently a total of 1,905 detainees for political reasons, an unprecedented number in the 25 years of the “Bolivarian revolution.”
The number of political prisoners was 301, until the wave of mass arrests starting on July 28 skyrocketed that number.
Since July 29, one day after the vote, 1,767 arrests were recorded, most of them during the first protests against the results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), which has not provided evidence to justify its verdict. The protesters, outraged by the result, were violently repressed, with hundreds of people imprisoned.
Among those detained are important political and civil society figures, including opposition leaders, activists and journalists. One of the most notable cases is that of the mayor of Maracaibo, Rafael Ramírez, who has been accused of corruption. According to Magalli Meda, head of the opposition leader’s command Maria Corina MachadoMachado’s party, Vente Venezuela, is the most affected, with 44 militants imprisoned, including its entire national leadership.
Meda, who remains sheltered in the Argentine Embassy in Caracas along with five other opposition leaders, denounced that other opposition groups have also suffered mass arrests. Primero Justicia has 34 militants detained, Voluntad Popular 22, Encuentro Ciudadano 11 and Acción Democrástica 10.
The situation of repression has not been limited only to arrests. The NGO Provea reported that, in the days after the elections, 25 people were murdered, most of them during the protests. An increase in “arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, searches without a court order and acts of violence by authorities” has also been reported, according to a report from the AFP agency.
The Venezuelan regime has blamed the protesters for generating “violence” and “vandalism” in several public venues, while the opposition bloc accuses the security forces of brutally repressing the demonstrations.
The NGO Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) denounced that those detained during the protests are held in maximum security prisons in deplorable conditions. According to the OVP, many of the detainees show signs of malnutrition, since the food provided is “deficient,” and they barely receive two glasses of water a day.
The repression has not only affected protesters and political opponents, but also journalists and the media. The NGO Espacio Público reported 26 violations of freedom of expression in the month of September, including acts of censorship, harassment and administrative restrictions. The victims include six journalists, four media outlets and several web platforms.
Foro Penal has documented a total of 17,882 political arrests in Venezuela since 2014, demonstrating a sustained pattern of repression. However, the current situation, with a record number of 1,905 political prisoners, reflects a tightening of repression following the fraudulent elections and the regime’s growing desperation to maintain control in the midst of a deepening political and social crisis.
