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5d ago

Venezuela Says 99 Freed, NGOs Count 71 in Post‑Election Cases

Rights groups call the step insufficient and press for a general amnesty after months of suspended releases.

FILE - Soldiers raid the Tocorón Penitentiary Center, where the Tren de Aragua gang originated, in Tocorón, Venezuela, Sept. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)
Una estatua destruida del fallecido presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez se encuentra junto a su base en Valencia, Venezuela, el martes 31 de julio de 2024, un día después de que la gente protestara por los resultados oficiales de las elecciones que certificaron al protegido de Chávez, el actual presidente Nicolás Maduro, como el ganador.
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Régimen de Nicolás Maduro libera a 71 presos políticos que protestaron en las elecciones presidenciales de Venezuela en 2024

Overview

  • The Penitentiary Ministry announced 99 excarcerations after case‑by‑case reviews, framing the move as a legal measure and rejecting the existence of political prisoners.
  • Family groups reported 71 releases they could verify—65 men from Tocorón, 3 women from La Crisálida, and 3 adolescents from La Guaira—and said the outcome remains far short of what is needed.
  • Relatives and NGOs say excarcerations had been paused since March 2025 and are now reactivated, with many beneficiaries reportedly under precautionary measures rather than full freedom.
  • Foro Penal continues to count hundreds still detained for political reasons—902 as of mid‑December—while Justicia, Encuentro y Perdón and others demand full freedom via a general amnesty.
  • The releases drew regional attention, with Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro urging a general amnesty, as international scrutiny and U.S. pressure intensify over Venezuela’s human‑rights record.