Jan 13 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s top lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez said on Tuesday that over 400 people had been freed from prison as part of process announced last week intended as a gesture of peace.
Rights groups have said that the number of releases ranges between 60 and 70, while complaining about the slow pace and lack of information. On Monday, Venezuela’s penitentiary authority said that 116 people had been freed from prison.
Foro Penal, a leading local NGO that works on legal support for detainees, said at least 800 political prisoners were behind bars at the beginning of the year.
The government says it does not hold political prisoners and that those arrested have been charged with legitimate crimes.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, who is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, has been one of the leading voices demanding the release of prisoners, some of whom are her close allies.
(Reporting by Reuters staff, Editing by Iñigo Alexander)
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