NGO updates number of teenagers released from prison in Venezuela: they were arrested for protesting

A total of 86 adolescents, out of more than 100 detained after the presidential elections of July 28 in Venezuela, were released between August 29 and September 1, according to the non-governmental organization Foro Penal.

This NGO, which is dedicated to defending political prisoners in the country, confirmed the releases through its account on the social network X.

Foro Penal reported that these 86 young people, aged between 14 and 17, were released on bail after being arrested during protests against the official results of the presidential elections.

This result has been widely questioned both nationally and internationally.

Of the released adolescents, 74 are men and 12 are women, and they come from various states of the country, including Miranda (9), Amazonas (1), Anzoátegui (6), Bolívar (3), Carabobo (4), Caracas (16), Cojedes (2), Lara (8), Mérida (8), Nueva Esparta (4), Portuguesa (5), Táchira (13), Yaracuy (1) and Zulia (6).

The organization also shared a video showing some of these young people reunited with their families after the court hearings.

For his part, opposition leader Andrés Velásquez denounced this Sunday the detention of these teenagers as one of the “most serious and inhumane” violations of human rights in Venezuela.

“One of the most serious and inhuman violations of human rights and crimes against humanity is the imprisonment that Maduro ordered against dozens of adolescents,” he said in X.

This is how Maria Corina Machado reacted

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado denounced this Sunday that Nicolás Maduro has condemned young people to “exile, poverty, lack of opportunities, violence and prison.”

“Maduro has not only condemned our children to exile, poverty and lack of opportunities; he has also condemned them to violence and prison, regardless of their age or origin,” the former deputy said on her social networks.

Machado accused the Venezuelan government of violating the rights and dignity of teenagers by separating them from their families and subjecting them to “terror.” She added that, although some have been released in recent hours due to international pressure, others remain detained.

The opposition leader also reported on the case of a teenager in the state of Sucre who suffered a collapse that caused brain damage and required hospitalization. This young woman was prosecuted without the right to a defense for inciting hatred and faces a sentence of 24 years in prison, according to the leader.

Since July 29, more than 2,400 people have been arrested in Venezuela, some during protests and others in police operations. In addition, 25 deaths have been recorded in incidents of violence.

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