Venezuela releases more than 100 people arrested after a botched election Nicolas Maduro News

The Venezuelan government has taken steps to release some prisoners after the election but continues to crack down on the opposition.

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has released 103 people who were imprisoned following the July elections that were being held in that country, which opposition groups accused Maduro of stealing.

The civil security unit, led by Minister Diosdado Cabello, announced the release of the prisoner in a written statement on Thursday.

It explained that Maduro ordered the government to review “all cases related to acts of violence and crimes committed in the electoral process”.

103 prisoners were released within a period of 72 hours, from Tuesday to Thursday. The ministry explained that their release came in addition to “precautionary measures” given to other prisoners on November 26.

Those “safeguards” also allowed 225 inmates to be released but required them to appear in court once after 30 days, according to the attorney general’s office.

Despite such actions, the government has refused calls from the opposition and regional leaders to release information that could confirm Maduro’s victory.

Hours after the July 28 election, Venezuela’s election authorities declared Maduro the winner of a third term, despite early polls showing him trailing opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez by a seemingly insurmountable margin.

But critics were quick to seize on the fact that officials in several key areas refused to release vote tallies, a regular part of the electoral process in Venezuela.

Thousands of protesters filled the streets in cities like the capital Caracas, and the opposition party released data it said showed Gonzalez won comfortably.

However, Venezuela’s electoral authorities and the country’s supreme court – which critics say is stacked with loyalists – confirmed Maduro’s victory. And the government responded by cracking down on both protesters and opposition members.

At least 28 people died and nearly 200 were injured when security forces clashed with protesters across the country. Government figures indicate around 2,000 people have been arrested.

Opposition parties, facing arrests and deportations even before the vote, have continued to face pressure since then. Earlier this week, an opposition group called Vente Venezuela said three of its regional leaders had been arrested.

Gonzalez fled abroad to Spain in September, where he was granted asylum. “My departure from Caracas was surrounded by acts of pressure, coercion and threats,” he said at the time.

Opposition parties also sought refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas, after warrants were issued for their arrest after the election.

This week, the Argentine government also accused the Maduro government of torturing the opposition group locked up inside the embassy, ​​consisting of four men and two women.

Embassies and embassies are considered “off-limits” places under international law, and local law enforcement is generally barred from entering without prior permission.

“The Venezuelan government has not only denied them a safe passage that would allow them to leave safely but has taken unacceptable torture measures,” said Argentina’s Foreign Minister Gerardo Werhein speaking to the Organization of American States (OAS) this week.

“Asylum seekers face water cuts, power outages, food restrictions and the constant presence of security forces near the headquarters.”