At least 60 political prisoners who were jailed after Venezuela’s disputed 2024 presidential election have been released in connection with Christmas, according to a statement from a non-governmental organization made up of human rights activists and relatives of political detainees, Greek City Times reports.
Those freed had been arrested during the deep political crisis triggered by the re-election of President Nicolás Maduro in July 2024 for a third term. The opposition denounced the result as fraudulent, and protests erupted in many cities across the country after Maduro was declared the winner.
The demonstrations led to the arrest of around 2,400 people, whom the president described as “terrorists.” Of those detainees, more than 2,000 have already been released, according to local organizations.
“We celebrate the release of more than 60 Venezuelans who should never have been arbitrarily detained,” Andreina Baduel, head of the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (Clippve), told Agence France-Presse. She added that the group “continues to work” for the release of “all political prisoners,” noting that “more than 1,000 families still have relatives in prison.”
The circumstances under which the releases took place remain unclear. Agence France-Presse has sought clarification from Venezuela’s Ministry of Justice but has so far received no response.
According to relatives of the detainees, most of those freed had been held at the high-security Tocorón prison in Aragua state, about 134 kilometres southwest of Caracas.
