By EFE
01 Sep 2024, 10:26 AM EDT
Thirty of the more than 100 teenagers arrested after the July 28 presidential election in Venezuela, according to the NGO Foro Penal, were released on Saturday, said the vice president of this non-governmental organization, Gonzalo Himiob.
Through X, Himiob said that “after hearings held in Táchira and Portuguesa, 12 adolescents (men) and one adolescent (woman) were released under precautionary measures in Táchira, and five adolescents (men) in Portuguesa,” which means that the number of detained minors that the Penal Forum now counts is 68.
#31Aug After hearings held in #Táchira and #Portuguesa, 12 adolescents (men) and 1 adolescent (woman) in Táchira and 5 adolescents (men) in Portuguesa were released on bail.
— Gonzalo Himiob S. (@HimiobSantome) August 31, 2024
He also said that eight minors were released, also with precautionary measures, in Lara, three more in the state of Bolívar, as well as one in Yaracuy.
#31Aug 8:50PM Also confirmed are the releases under precautionary measures of 8 adolescents in #Lara and 3 adolescents in #Bolívar.
— Gonzalo Himiob S. (@HimiobSantome) September 1, 2024
On Thursday, the NGO reported the release of 16 teenagers in Caracas, four of them women and 12 men.
Himiob then told EFE that the 16 were released “under precautionary measures” after having been “imprisoned in the context of the protests” unleashed after the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Nicolás Maduro the winner for a third consecutive six-year term in power, a result questioned inside and outside the country and rejected by the majority opposition, which denounces “fraud.”
Before July 29, “there were no teenagers detained,” the lawyer said.
According to official figures from the Chavistas, more than 2,400 people have been arrested since July 29 – some in demonstrations and others in police operations – and 25 were killed in acts of violence that the regime attributes to the opposition, while anti-Chavez supporters blame the state security forces, on orders from their superiors.
On Wednesday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) presented a report to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States warning of an increase in “repression” in Venezuela, as well as “arbitrary use of force” and arrests that include minors.
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