CARACAS (AFP) – Dozens of Venezuelans took to the streets in Caracas calling for the release of prisoners detained in protests against the disputed re-election of President Nicolas Maduro.
“I’m tired of living in a country with such a dictatorship, I want to be free,” said one protester, who asked not to be named due to worries of being imprisoned herself.
The rally was called by opposition politician Maria Corina Machado, who also urged the International Criminal Court – which is already investigating alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela – to press for the release of what non-governmental organisation Foro Penal said are more than 1,900 “political prisoners”.
Most of the detainees were arrested in protests that followed Maduro’s July election for a third consecutive six-year term, with his victory declared by state authorities seen as loyal to him.
The opposition claimed the vote was fraudulent. Fearing arrest, Machado has been in hiding since the election, while opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia has fled to Spain.
