La ONG Foro Penal has reported a total of 19 arrests during the day on Friday at opposition demonstrations to protest the inauguration of Nicolás Maduro as president of Venezuela.
These arrests are distributed in several states of the country: five in Zulia, three in Yaracuy, two in the Capital district, two in Carabobo, two also in Monagas and one in Portuguesa, Lara, Trujillo, Cojedes and Aragua.
“We continue to receive and verifying other reports. From these or other states,” explained the vice president of Foro Penal, Gonzalo Himiob, in his account on the social network X.
Previously, the president of the Penal Forum, Alfredo Romero, has indicated that “only in January have we verified, until now49 arrests for political purposes, 42 since January 7. And they continue…”
In total, The NGO estimates that there are 1,697 “political prisoners” despite the recent releases of hundreds of detainees. Among the prisoners there are 1,495 men and 202 women. It also distinguishes between 1,535 civilians and 162 military personnel and between 1,694 adults and 3 adolescents. There are 38 people missing.
Penal Forum also reports that it has recorded 18,185 political arrests and that it has assisted more than 14,000 people who have finally been released from prison.
Foro Penal explains that the concept of political prisoners includes “people who are kept deprived of liberty” and does not include all those who have been arrested and released or are held under short-term arrest, that is, in a period of 48 hours.
