Venezuela still has 687 political prisoners; 51 with unknown whereabouts, says NGO

Interim president of Venezuela proposes general amnesty Venezuela still has 687 political prisoners, according to a report released by the NGO Foro Penal this Monday (2). ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp The organization, which monitors political prisoners in the country, also stated that, of this total, 51 have no known whereabouts and released details about the group: 600 men and 87 women 505 civilians and 182 military personnel 686 adults and 1 teenager 182 convicted and 505 unconvicted 59 foreigners Balance released by the NGO Foro Penal on political prisoners in Venezuela Reproduction Since the capture of the deposed Venezuelan dictator, Nicolás Maduro, in the operation carried out by the United States a month ago, several political prisoners have been released in the country. The decision, which would have been one of the demands made by American President Donald Trump, was announced on January 8 by the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, one of the leaders of Chavismo and brother of the interim president, Delcy Rodríguez. On Friday (30), Delcy also announced a general amnesty in Venezuela and the closure of the famous Helicoide prison, in Caracas, denounced by activists as a torture center for opponents of Chavismo. “We have decided to put in place a general amnesty law that covers the entire period of political violence from 1999 to the present. We have decided that the Helicoide facilities, which today serve as a detention center, will be transformed into a social, sporting, cultural and commercial center for the police family and the surrounding communities,” said Rodríguez in a speech before the Supreme Court. From January 8th, when the first announcement was made, until this Sunday (1st), 344 prisoners were released, says the NGO Foro Penal – among them, opposition activist Javier Tarazona. Venezuelan activist Javier Tarazona (in blue, on the right), alongside his mother and brother after being released from prison in Venezuela, in Disclosure/ Foro Penal In recent weeks, family members of prisoners in Helicoide held vigils and camped overnight in front of the prison, demanding the release of their relatives. Families and human rights defenders have long demanded the annulment of charges and convictions against detainees considered political prisoners. Opposition politicians, dissident members of the security forces, journalists and human rights activists are often the target of accusations such as terrorism and treason, which their families consider unfair and arbitrary. See the videos that are trending on g1

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