Venezuela releases 107 protesters arrested after July election News
Carlos Díaz, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
Venezuela releases 107 protesters arrested after July election

Venezuela on Saturday released 107 protesters who were detained for demonstrations over the presidential election in July, according to Alfredo Romero, director of the local rights group Foro Penal.

According to the group, 50 people were freed from the Tocorón prison in the state of Aragua and dozens more from at least three other prisons. Video footage shows relatives and friends of the prisoners cheering and awaiting their release.

The releases came after the death of Edwin Santos, a former local leader and co-founder of Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular. The state’s treatment of prisoners came under scrutiny and widespread criticism by politicians and human rights organizations, including Gonzalez and local human rights group PROVEA. Many suspected extrajudicial killing and called for transparent investigations into the incident.

The prisoners were arrested during protests that followed the July presidential election. Venezuela’s National Election Council (CNE) announced incumbent President Nicolás Maduro as the winner, but opposition leader Edmundo González also declared victory, accusing Maduro of election fraud. Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets to protest against the CNE’s announcement, which led to a violent crackdown by Maduro’s government. According to Human Rights Watch, over 2,400 people were arrested and 24 were killed in the confrontations.

According to Foro Penal, as of November 8, 2024, they have registered 1,963 political prisoners who were in custody for the protests. Over 1,800 had not been convicted of any crimes. The releases on Saturday only represented a small portion of the imprisoned individuals, and the majority are currently still in custody.

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