Venezuela: New wave of prisoner releases before Christmas

A new wave of releases of detainees imprisoned during the unrest following the disputed re-election of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela brought the total of people released to 956, the prosecutor's office announced on Monday, just before Christmas.

In the morning, 177 releases were approved, before 46 others in the afternoon, establishing at “956 the number of releases carried out” since the crisis following the presidential election of July 28, declared the public prosecutor in a press release. .

On Friday, the authorities had already announced 200, in addition to the 179 granted the same week and the more than 300 decided since November. Among these 956 released detainees are teenagers, but official figures do not specify how many.

2400 arrests

Families and loved ones of prisoners have been campaigning for weeks to demand release before Christmas Day. More than 2,400 people were arrested during the unrest following the contested re-election of Nicolás Maduro, accused in particular of terrorism and incitement to hatred and then locked up in high security centers.

Protest movements multiplied after the opposition claimed the victory of its candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia in the election.

The United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries recognized Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, exiled in Spain since the beginning of September, as the winner, to the detriment of Nicolás Maduro. The protests left 28 dead and nearly 200 injured, according to Venezuela's attorney general.

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AFP

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