Venezuela says it has released 177 more jailed protesters during elections | Nicolas Maduro news

About 2,000 protesters were jailed after the disputed July elections, in which Maduro declared himself the victor.

Venezuela said another 177 Imprisoned election protesters More than 2,000 people arrested during clashes following the controversial elections on July 28 have been released.

With the announcement by Attorney General Tarek Saab on Monday, the total number of released protesters reaches 910, according to Reuters news agency.

However, human rights groups said they were unable to verify all those said to have regained their freedom.

The groups say at least three protesters have died in custody since demonstrations swept the country after the National Electoral Council. Announce President Nicolas Maduro is the victor, without releasing an official tally.

Opinion polls before the election showed Maduro trailing the opposition leader by a wide margin Edmundo Gonzalez With an insurmountable lead before the election, Maduro’s government continues to reject calls from both the opposition and regional leaders to publish data proving his victory.

However, the Venezuelan Supreme Court later confirmed the win. Opposition figures confirmed that the electoral council and court are dominated by Maduro loyalists.

As Venezuelans took to the streets to demand election data, at least 28 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in clashes with security forces, and hundreds more were arrested.

Venezuelan rights group Foro Penal said that as of early December, there were 1,877 political prisoners.

In announcing the release of 103 election protesters on December 12, the National Security Service said that Maduro had instructed the government to review “all cases related to acts of violence and crimes committed in the context of the elections.”

Before that, the Public Prosecutor’s Office said that “precautionary measures” had been taken on November 26, allowing the release of about 225 prisoners but requiring them to appear in court once every 30 days.

Last week, Venezuela’s prosecutor said another 533 election protesters had been released.

ICC probe

These moves come months after ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan announced that he was “actively monitoring” the post-election crackdown.

The International Criminal Court has been established Open probe to the country due to the violence that followed Maduro’s controversial Constituent Assembly elections in 2017.

The releases also come just weeks before Maduro is sworn in again for a third term on January 10. US President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to take office in 10 days, which may see a change in policy towards Venezuela.

Trump increased sanctions during his first term, but has faced pressure to proceed more cautiously due to concerns that reviving the agreement could push Caracas toward China.

For its part, the administration of US President Joe Biden had eased some sanctions, as Maduro pledged to hold free and fair elections, but Put them back in place While the Venezuelan leader launched more repressive measures on the opposition in the run-up to the vote.

Since then, many opposition figures have done so Flee the country.

However, with many US citizens remaining detained in Venezuela, it was not clear whether the recent releases were intended to build goodwill with the incoming US administration.