Venezuela Still Has 1,903 Political Prisoners
The NGO said the list of adolescent political prisoners now stands at 42.
HAVANA TIMES – The non-governmental organization Foro Penal, which defends political prisoners in Venezuela, reported this Friday that “1,903 people remain imprisoned for dissenting from the government,” most of them detained after the July 28 elections, in which President Nicolas Maduro achieved a widely questioned victory.
Attorney Gonzalo Himiob, vice president of the NGO, told EFE that the situation of the detainees “remains the same,” after 165 confirmed releases by the defense team this month as part of a case review process requested by Maduro and carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office and the courts.
Of the total incarcerated, Himiob explained, 1,658 are men and 245 are women, including 42 minors, of whom 1,741 are civilians and 162 are members of various branches of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces. The military leadership has expressed unwavering support for the president amid allegations of fraud in the elections.
Since July 29, the NGO has documented 1,943 arrests in the context of citizen protests against the official election results, as well as during police and military operations ordered by the executive branch, which claims to be facing conspiracies and coup plots.
Among the detainees are dozens of political activists and some opposition leaders who held elected positions as deputies, governors, councilors, or mayors.
Foro Penal and the families of the detainees have denounced that almost all are accused of crimes such as terrorism for not accepting the stolen elections and that their rights are being violated. Among other issues, the justice system prevents these prisoners from appointing attorneys of their choice.
First published in Spanish by Efecto Cucuyo and translated and posted by Havana Times.