Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro releases 39 political prisoners after talks with Opposition leader
The Venezuelan government, under the orders of President Nicolas Maduro, released 39 political prisoners, including activists and protesters, on Friday.
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The Venezuelan government released 39 political prisoners on Friday in an attempt to reunite the fractured nation. The prisoners are largely comprised of activists and protesters who publicly opposed Nicolas Maduro’s government. AP
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The prisoners have been released under a stringent set of conditions, which will require them to check in with authorities periodically. The released prisoners are not allowed to leave Venezuela or speak to the news media. AP
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Human rights groups have dismissed the release as a token gesture from an oppressive dictatorship. Critics in Maduro’s opposition parties have alleged that the Venezuelan government is still holding hundreds of prisoners for leading anti-governmental demonstrations in 2014 and 2017. AP
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Maduro’s government released 20 prisoners in May who were charged for protesting against power outages and blackouts in the country. It also released Joshua Holt, an American man who was detained on charges that have been disputed by US state officials. AP
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The release of the prisoners was a key aspect of Maduro’s talks with Opposition leader Laidy Gomez, which were aimed at persuading the president to end political persecution in the country. AP
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Delcy Rodrigues, the president of the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela, said that this was just the initial round of releases and that more prisoners would be released in the future. The statement was seconded by Maduro, who added that only prisoners convicted of homicide were ineligible for release. AP
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