Venezuela’s government has released 88 more people detained after protests following last year’s presidential election, the second mass release in two weeks, as pressure mounts from the United States on President Nicolás Maduro.
The New Year’s Day release follows the freeing of 99 detainees on 26 December, bringing the total number released in recent days to at least 187, according to government figures.
In a statement, authorities said the releases were part of a case review process ordered by President Maduro. However, local rights groups said they had verified the release of at least 55 prisoners, most of them freed from the Tocorón prison in central Venezuela.
Some non-governmental organisations have questioned whether the government has released as many detainees as it claims.
Rights groups estimate that around 900 people remain in detention for political reasons, including arrests made before the July 2024 election.
The government denies holding political prisoners, saying those detained were involved in attempts to destabilise the country.
The releases come amid heightened pressure from Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump has urged Maduro to leave power, while the United States has expanded its military presence in the Caribbean, carried out strikes on vessels it says were linked to drug trafficking, and seized Venezuelan oil tankers.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 20 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
One person was killed and dozens injured after two passenger trains collided near Bedford in central England on Friday, prompting a major emergency response, British Transport Police said.
The Caspian Sea has retreated by up to 35 kilometres along Kazakhstan's coastline since 2006, raising fresh concerns about the future of the world's largest inland body of water and the communities, industries and ecosystems that depend on it.
One person was killed and dozens injured after two passenger trains collided near Bedford in central England on Friday, prompting a major emergency response, British Transport Police said.
Israel and Hezbollah have agreed to a ceasefire, a senior U.S. official has said. Hezbollah has released a statement saying Israel must leave southern Lebanon. Israel has said it agrees to the ceasefire, but has said its armed forces won't leave Lebanon and will resume hostilities if attacked.
U.S. President Donald Trump sought a deal with Iran "out of deperation," Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said, in a statement on social media. Khamenei added that he himself "held a different view," to Trump, but allowed the agreement after receiving assurances from Iran's President.
Morocco captain and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will face trial in France after an appeals court ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.
Russia's defence ministry says its forces have captured the village of Yurkivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, according to the Interfax news agency. The claim could not be independently verified.
A senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will return a Polish state honour in protest, after Poland’s president stripped Zelenskyy of the country’s highest award over a historical dispute.
Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency early on Saturday, escalating a blockade crisis that has paralysed parts of the country and placed growing pressure on his government.
Morocco captain and PSG defender Achraf Hakimi will face trial in France after an appeals court ruled there was enough evidence for the case to proceed.
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