The non-governmental organization Foro Penal, which defends people detained for political reasons in Venezuela, reported that currently, 54 foreigners are imprisoned in the country for political reasons. Among them, 35 hold dual nationality.
Nationalities of the detainees
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Foro Penal detailed that the 54 foreign detainees include:
- Five Colombians
- Two Ecuadorians
- Two Spaniards
- Individuals from Italy, Germany, Argentina, Guyana, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Peru, Ukraine, and Uruguay
Additionally, among the 35 dual nationals, there are:
- Nine Spaniards
- Eight Italians
- Eight Colombians
- Three Portuguese
- One Argentine
- One Hungarian
- One Chilean
American political prisoners
Foro Penal also reported that five Americans are detained in Venezuela, although four of them hold dual nationality. This follows the release of six citizens last week, who returned to the United States alongside Richard Grenell, a special envoy of former President Donald Trump.
Grenell visited Caracas to meet with Nicolás Maduro and negotiate the release of the detainees. After the meeting, he published a photo with the six freed Americans, mentioning that they had spoken with Trump and thanked him for his efforts.
Maduro accuses foreigners of terrorism
In an interview with Telesur on January 27, Maduro claimed that the country has captured more than 200 people from 25 different nationalities, accusing them of being “mercenaries” and “hitmen.” According to Maduro, these detainees planned to place bombs and carry out attacks in Venezuela.
Current situation of political prisoners in Venezuela
According to Foro Penal, as of Monday, Venezuela had 1,196 political prisoners, including four teenagers aged 14 to 17. Most of these arrests occurred after the July 28 presidential elections, in which the National Electoral Council (CNE) declared Maduro as the winner, despite opposition claims of fraud.
During the post-election protests, more than 2,400 people were arrested, and 28 deaths were reported, including two military personnel.
Contradictions in official figures
Venezuela’s Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, maintains that there are no political prisoners in the country, only individuals incarcerated for various crimes. According to Saab, 1,896 people have been released under precautionary measures. However, Foro Penal has not confirmed this figure.
Call to the international community
The opposition party Voluntad Popular (VP) recently urged democratic leaders worldwide to demand the release of all political prisoners in Venezuela.
(With information from EFE)
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