AFP, SAN FRANCISCO DE YARE, Venezuela
Venezuelan authorities this weekend freed 225 people who were detained in protests against the disputed re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in July, the prosecutor’s office said on Saturday.
The releases were “granted and executed for people prosecuted for the violence that occurred after the 28 July elections,” the office said in a statement, after prosecutors launched a large-scale review of their cases.
Human rights group Foro Penal had independently confirmed the release of 107 people by Saturday evening. More than 2,400 people were arrested during the unrest that followed the re-election of Maduro, which the opposition claims was fraudulent.
Cesar Salmeron, left, embraces his son, Antony Salmeron, upon his release from prison in Tocuyito, Venezuela, on Saturday.
Photo: AP
The violence left at least 28 dead and nearly 200 people injured, prosecutors said.
The detainees included 164 minors, 69 of whom remain behind bars.
Members of the armed forces escorted down a pedestrian bridge those who were released from the prison in Tocuyito. Some of the detainees kneeled and raised their arms after going down the stairs. Two detainees helped a third one who could not walk on his own and later collapsed into the arms of a relative as they sobbed.
“My son, thank you, Lord, thank you,” a woman said as she hugged her son with one arm and lifted the other to the sky.
Images shared online by the Venezuelan Prison Observatory showed women tearfully hugging loved ones outside another prison.
The group described the releases as a “victory” and demanded that all who remain in prison for their roles in the election and activities in its aftermath be freed.
“I feel pretty good, I’m glad to be back on the street,” said Alexis Jose Ocho, 64, who was freed from the Yare 3 prison in north-central Venezuela.
“They treated us well in the prison, but the bad thing was the national police, when they arrested us, they kicked us,” he added.
Detainees’ relatives flocked to the prisons where they were being held after reports of the release began circulating on social media.
Alexandra Hurtado, 47, waited in front of the Yare 3 prison wearing a shirt with a photograph of her son Oscar Escalona, 23, and the phrase: “He’s not a terrorist, he’s innocent.”
The detainee’s aunt Michell Hurtado stood next to her.
“It’s a roller coaster of emotions. It’s like you are in a maternity ward waiting to give birth,” she said.
Additional reporting by AP
