Organizations request the publication of the official list of political prisoners released on December 25 in order to accurately verify the information. They demand the freedom of all detainees
The organizations Penal Forum and Justice, Encounter and Forgiveness (JEP) reported this Friday the 26th that they have verified half of the 99 releases of detainees after the 2024 presidential elections, announced by the Ministry of Penitentiary Service.
The vice-president of Foro Penal, Gonzalo Himiobnoted that until 5:20 pm this Friday, they had been able to confirm 52 releases of people arbitrarily detained for political reasons in Venezuela.
They reported that they will continue to review and confirm other reports. The lawyer pointed out that those released are 17 women, 32 men and 3 adolescents.
Earlier, the organization had published a list with information on 45 confirmed releases, all Venezuelans, most detained during the context of the political crisis after the presidential elections on July 28, 2024.
In those elections, the electoral body – controlled by officials close to Chavismo – proclaimed the victory of Nicolás Maduro amid complaints of fraud from the majority opposition, which claims the victory of Edmundo González Urrutia, currently exiled in Spain.
“We consider it appropriate that an official list of releases be published,” declared the organization.
For its part, JEP also reported that they have only verified “approximately half of the cases” reported by Venezuelan authorities.
“It is important to note that, in multiple situations, the releases would have occurred under restrictive conditions, including the prohibition of issuing public statements, which has made it difficult to directly confirm several cases,” the NGO explained.
In this sense, he noted that they will maintain their “documentation and verification” process to contrast the information from the authorities “with the available testimonies and other reliable sources.”
Likewise, JEP affirmed that the release measures must be given “without conditions, without undue restrictions and with full guarantees” for the detainees.
“We insist on the need for official transparency and access to verifiable information, as essential elements for the effective protection of the rights of people deprived of liberty and their families,” the organization added.
On Wednesday night, the Venezuelan Ministry for the Penitentiary Service reported, in a statement, the release of 99 people detained, according to that State portfolio, for their alleged participation in “acts of violence and incitement to hatred” after the elections.
“The National Government and the Justice system have made the decision to evaluate case by case and grant, in accordance with the law, precautionary measures, which has allowed the release of 99 citizens, as a concrete expression of the State’s commitment to peace, dialogue and justice,” the statement states.
However, the authorities did not publish an official list of those released.
Several NGOs, such as JEP and Foro Penal, gave the first information about the releases on Thursday and renewed their calls for the release of all political prisoners.
The releases resumed after a period of suspension since last March, according to relatives of the detainees.
In the context after the presidential votes, more than 2,400 people were arrested – most of them released – and accused of “terrorism” and “vandalism” according to the Prosecutor’s Office, although several NGOs and opposition political parties consider them innocent.
As of December 15, Foro Penal counted 902 political prisoners in Venezuela, 86 of them foreigners or Venezuelans with another foreign nationality.
However, Maduro’s Executive assures that the country is “free of political prisoners” and that those designated as such are imprisoned for the “commission of terrible punishable acts.”
With information from the EFE agency
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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