At least 99 political prisoners were released from prison in Venezuela this week, according to the Committee of Mothers in Defense of Truth.
The Ministry for the Penitentiary Service of the Nicolás Maduro regime confirmed on Thursday night the release of these people, including teenagers, who had been detained after the 2024 presidential elections, in a context of political crisis marked by allegations of fraud by the opposition in the result that gave re-election to the Chavista dictator.
In a statement published on Instagram, the State Ministry stated that these people remained in detention for their alleged participation in “acts of violence and incitement to hatred” after the 2024 election, when protests took place against Maduro’s victory proclaimed by the electoral body, an institution controlled by officials aligned with Chavismo.
“The National Government and the Justice system took the decision to evaluate case by case and grant, in accordance with the law, precautionary measures, which allowed the release of 99 citizens, as a concrete expression of the State’s commitment to peace, dialogue and justice”, states the text.
According to a statement from the committee calling for the release of all political prisoners, the men were being held in the Tocorón prison, in the state of Aragua, while the women were in the Women’s Penitentiary Center of La Crisálida, in the state of Miranda, and the minors were in detention centers in the state of La Guaira.
After the presidential elections on July 28, 2024, more than 2,400 people were detained – most of them have now been released – and accused of “terrorism” and “vandalism”, according to the Venezuelan Public Ministry, although civil organizations and opposition political parties point out the innocence of these people amid the repression of the Chavista regime.
The NGO Foro Penal counts 902 political prisoners in Venezuela, the majority detained after the elections, according to a bulletin released last week, which has a cutoff date of December 15th.
