The NGO Foro Penal reported this Friday that it has been able to confirm only 54 of the 88 releases announced by the government of Nicolás Maduro the day before, within the framework of the political crisis that Venezuela is going through after the 2024 presidential elections.
Through its social networks, the organization detailed that those released are all Venezuelan citizens, including 51 men and 3 women.
On Thursday, the Ministry for the Penitentiary Service announced the release of 88 people detained for their alleged participation in violent events after the presidential elections. According to the official statement, there were 88 “new” releases of individuals who had committed crimes with the objective of “generating destabilization” and “disregarding the sovereign will of the Venezuelan people.”
The 2024 elections, in which the National Electoral Council proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as re-elected presidentwere denounced as fraudulent by the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD). The opposition coalition maintains that its candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia,—who is currently in exile—was the true winner.
After the elections, a new wave of protests and arrests broke out. According to figures from the Prosecutor’s Office, more than 2,400 people were arrested, many of them accused of being “terrorists.” However, various NGOs and opposition parties claim that they are political prisoners detained arbitrarily.
Until December 15, Criminal Forum There were 902 political prisoners in the country, including 86 foreigners or people with dual nationality.
