The New Year’s Day announcement marks the second mass release in a week amid US pressure on President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
In a statement published on Instagram, the Ministry of Penitentiary Service said that there had been “88 new releases” of people detained “for crimes committed during violent actions by extremist groups.”
“These actions are part of the comprehensive review process of cases ordered by President Nicolas Maduro,” it added.
The New Year’s Day release comes after Maduro’s government decided to free 99 people on Christmas Day as “a concrete expression of the State’s commitment to peace, dialogue and justice.”
Venezuela’s disputed 2024 re-election of Maduro
In July 2024, mass protests erupted in Venezuela after Maduro was declared to have won a third six-year term.
The country’s opposition claimed victory for the now-exiled former ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
Around 2,400 people were arrested, but nearly 2,000 have since been released.
Venezuelan NGOs estimate that about 900 political prisoners remain in detention in the country, including individuals arrested before the election.
US increasing pressure on Venezuela
Amid the threat of military action from the Trump administration, Maduro has lately been keen to show a more conciliatory side.
In recent months, the United States has ramped up pressure on Caracas, amassing a huge military presence in the Caribbean, carrying out strikes near the Venezuelan coast on suspected drug boats off the coast of Venezuela and seizing tankers transporting Venezuelan oil.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/venezuela-releases-88-jailed-after-post-election-protests/a-75362835
