Venezuela frees 99 prisoners detained after 2024 election protests, prisons authority says
Rights groups said the number released ‘does not correspond to reality’ despite growing pressure from Washington on President Maduro
Venezuela released 99 prisoners on Christmas Day, officials said, with the government calling it a goodwill gesture as it assesses arrests made after President Nicolas Maduro’s re-election.
“The national government and the justice system have decided to evaluate each case individually and, in accordance with the law”, released 99 citizens “as a concrete expression of the State’s commitment to peace, dialogue and justice”, the Ministry of Penitentiary Services said.
“They were deprived of liberty for their participation in acts of violence and incitement to hatred following the electoral day of July 28, 2024,” government officials said.
Around 2,400 people were arrested but nearly 2,000 have since been released.
The release conditions for those freed on Thursday were unclear. Agence France-Presse requested details from the Prosecutor’s Office but there was no immediate response.