- Most of the arrests recorded occurred after the presidential elections of July 28
Gonzalo Himiob, vice president of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Foro Penal, reported on October 9 that they have registered 1,916 prisoners for political reasons in Venezuela.
Of this total figure, updated until October 7, the representative of the NGO indicated that 240 are women, 70 adolescents and 159 soldiers.
Furthermore, Foro Penal highlighted in its report that in one week 17 new detainees, 148 convicted and two released were reported.
The NGO specified that, of the total number of arrests, 1,784 were made after the presidential elections of July 28.
The post-election crisis unleashed protests that caused, according to the Executive, 25 deaths and more than 2,400 arrests, a figure that considerably exceeds that of Foro Penal.
In this sense, the NGO explained to the EFE news agency recently that its figures are different from those announced by the authorities because the organization only counts arrests that they classify as “arbitrary.”
Since 2014, Foro Penal has registered 17,882 “political arrests.” Of those arrested, 14,000 have been released after being assisted by the NGO.
Political leaders detained
On September 26, the Vente Venezuela (VV) party indicated that there were 154 opposition politicians detained in the country, including national leaders and people who held elected positions when they were arrested.
Magalli Meda, head of Machado’s political team, explained through her X account that only VV has 41 of its members behind bars, almost all of them arrested in the weeks before and after the presidential elections.
Likewise, he assured that there were 34 militants from the Primero Justicia formation imprisoned, 22 from Popular Will (led by Leopoldo López, exiled in Spain), 11 from Encuentro Ciudadano and 10 from Democratic Action (AD).
In addition, the Convergencia, Un Nuevo Tiempo, Copei and the campaign command of the main opposition coalition – Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), which promoted the presidential candidacy of Edmundo González Urrutia – each have four of their members. deprived of liberty.
To these figures was added on October 2 the case of the mayor of Maracaibo (Zulia). The opponent Rafael Ramírez Colina was deprived of liberty by alleged agents of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) and the Public Ministry indicated that he would be accused of “serious irregular acts” related to corruption.
The opposition party Primero Justicia (PJ) – of which the mayor is a member – demanded his “immediate” release and that of the other detained officials, as well as an end to “political persecution.”
Complaints about irregularities
The NGO Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) denounced on October 4 that the State does not offer “adequate nutrition” to the prisoners who are in the Tocuyito prison, located in Carabobo, among whom are teenagers detained after protests against the official result of the presidential elections of July 28.
“When relatives manage to see their loved ones, they do not recognize them because of the situation they are in; they see them malnourished and pale. The care provided by the State to those deprived of liberty must be comprehensive, with the right to adequate food, health, studies, culture and recreation,” said the director of the OVP, Humberto Prado, quoted in a press release.
The OVP maintained that it has received complaints from relatives who report that the detainees eat “a dry and thin arepa, have pasta with meat or rice with meat for lunch, and have grains for dinner,” in addition, that they only drink “water twice a day.”
Likewise, he said that they have documented reports of prisoners with “stomach pains and constant evacuations.”
According to the NGO, a similar situation is recorded in the Tocorón prison, Aragua state, where teenagers were also transferred after the post-election crisis.
In addition to this, on October 3, relatives and friends of those detained for political reasons requested the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), through an appeal for protection, to review the precautionary measures of the prisoners, who are accused of several crimes such as terrorism and hate speech.
The relatives, accompanied by former opposition presidential candidate Enrique Márquez, also asked the TSJ to respect due process for those arrested.
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