Venezuela says it has released 177 other jailed election protesters. Nicolas Maduro News
About 2,000 protesters were jailed after a disputed vote in July in which Maduro declared himself the winner.
Venezuela has said another 177 imprisoned election protesters have been released, among more than 2,000 people arrested during clashes following the disputed July 28 vote.
Attorney General Tarek Saab’s announcement on Monday will bring the total number of protesters released to 910, according to Reuters news agency.
However, rights groups have said they have not been able to verify all of those who are said to have regained their freedom.
The groups say at least three protesters have died in custody since demonstrations broke out across the country after the National Electoral Council declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner without presenting official figures.
Pre-election polling showed Maduro trailing opposition leader Edmundo González by a large margin, which had appeared to be the case before the election, and Maduro’s government has yet to release data proving his victory, despite opposition and regional opposition. The leaders have rejected both the calls.
Nevertheless, the Venezuelan Supreme Court later confirmed the victory. Opposition figures say both the electoral council and the court are dominated by Maduro loyalists.
As Venezuelans took to the streets demanding election data, at least 28 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in clashes with security forces, while hundreds were arrested.
In early December, Venezuelan rights group Foro Penal said there were 1,877 political prisoners.
Announcing the release of 103 election protesters on 12 December, the Civil Protection Service said that Maduro had instructed the government to review “all cases related to violence and crimes committed in the framework of the elections”.
Earlier, the Attorney General’s Office had said that “precautionary measures” had been put in place on November 26, allowing about 225 prisoners to be released, but requiring them to appear in court once every 30 days. .
Last week, Venezuela’s attorney general said another 533 election protesters had been released.
ICC investigation
The move comes months after International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan said he was “actively monitoring” the post-election crackdown.
The ICC has opened an investigation related to violence in the country following the controversial Constituent Assembly elections held by Maduro in 2017.
The release comes just weeks before Maduro is to be sworn in again for a third term on January 10. America’s newly elected President Donald Trump is going to take office after 10 days, which may see a change in policy towards Venezuela.
Trump increased sanctions during his first term, but faces pressure to proceed more cautiously, fearing the redux could push Caracas toward China.
For its part, the administration of US President Joe Biden eased some sanctions as Maduro promised to hold free and fair elections, but imposed them back as the Venezuelan leader cracked down further on the opposition in the run-up to the vote. Gave.
Since then, many opposition figures have fled the country.
Still, with several U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela, it is not clear whether the latest releases were intended to build goodwill with the incoming U.S. administration.
