Penal Forum counts 1,905 political prisoners in Venezuela
The non-governmental organization Foro Penal, which leads the defense of political prisoners in Venezuelareported this Thursday that 1,905 people are still imprisoned, most of them detained after the July 28 elections in which Maduro was proclaimed the winner by the National Electoral Council, a result indicated as fraudulent by the majority opposition and a good part of the international community.
According to figures published in X by the NGO, 1,660 prisoners are men and 245 are women. In addition, there are 1,742 civilians and 63 military personnel.
The Penal Forum specified that 1,863 are adults and 42 adolescents between 14 and 17 years of age. To date, 149 people have been convicted.
Balance of #PoliticalPrisoners in Venezuela on 12/02/2024 by 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗹:
We have registered and classified the largest number of prisoners for political purposes known in #Venezuelaat least in the 21st century. We continue to receive and register detainees.
𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘀… pic.twitter.com/URQpfTNRSf
— Penal Forum (@ForoPenal) December 5, 2024
Since 2014 there have been registered 18,061 arrests for political reasons in Venezuela. While more than 14,000 people who were assisted by Foro Penal have been released.
The number of people who are still arbitrarily subject to measures restricting their freedom exceeds 9,000.
The list was sent to the Organization of American States for verification and certification.
Relatives of political prisoners ask for dialogue with Maduro
A group of relatives of political prisoners in Venezuela asked on Monday, during a vigil in Caracas, to dialogue with Nicolás Maduro to “achieve justice,” as well as be able to spend Christmas with their loved ones.
«President, we continue to call for sincere dialogue to achieve justice for all our detaineesWe want a Christmas without our daughters and sons in prison.“said Theany Urbina, one of the mothers during the vigil outside the Public Ministry, after reading a letter addressed to Maduro.
International organizations have demanded the freedom of all political prisoners, as they defend the right to protest and freedom of expression. However, a wave of persecution was unleashed in the country against those who expressed ideals contrary to the Maduro government.
Those who are imprisoned face violations of their human rights due to the conditions in which they are found or the treatment they receive from security officials.
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