The non-governmental organization Foro Penal denounced that in Venezuela there are 841 people detained for political reasonsamong them 97 with dual nationality or foreign citizenship.
In the report, published this Thursday on its social network X with a cut-off date of October 6, the NGO specified that 738 of those detained are men and 103 are women. In addition, 837 are adults and four are adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17.
Criminal Forum It also counted 668 civilians and 173 military personnel, although it clarified that the list “does not yet include all those who have been arrested and released or are kept under short-term arrest (48 hours).”
In turn, the organization explained that most of the arrests occurred after the July 2024 presidential electionwhen the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolás Maduro as the winner, despite complaints of “fraud” made by the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) and other opposition groups.
Both Maduro and the attorney general, Tarek William Saab, have reiterated that there are no political prisoners in the country, since – they claim – the detained people “committed crimes.” However, various NGOs and opposition leaders reject this version and affirm that the arrests are for political reasons.
Meanwhile, civil organizations and activists urged the authorities to release all political prisoners before October 19, the date on which the canonization of José Gregorio Hernández and Carmen Rendiles. The Venezuelan Episcopal Conference joined this call this week and reiterated its support for the release of those detained for reasons of conscience.
