Venezuela: Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado denounces that Nicolas Maduro has condemned young people to ‘violence and prison’

Venezuela’s opposition leader Maria Corina Machado The president, Nicolás Maduro, has condemned young people to “exile, poverty and lack of opportunities” as well as “violence and prison,” he said on Sunday in reference to the teenagers arrested after the presidential elections on July 28.

“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 congresswoman wrote on her Instagram account.

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.

He also said that The Venezuelan government has violated the rights and dignity of adolescents, “separating them from their families and condemning to terror not only these boys, but also their parents and friends.”

“In the last few hours, and as a result of the indignation of the world, many of them have been released, but others remain kidnapped,” he said.

Machado said that one of the teenagers detained in the northeastern state of Sucre collapsed, causing brain damage, and that she needed to be taken to hospital.

“There she was prosecuted without the right to a defense for the crime of inciting hatred, with a sentence of 24 years in prison”he added.

A total of 86 adolescents released from prison in Venezuela

A total of 86 teenagers have been released from prison in Venezuela, after authorities detained some 114 minors during the crisis unleashed after the questioned re-election of Nicolás Maduro in Julyreported the NGO Foro Penal on Sunday.

“From August 29 to September 1, the Penal Forum has verified eighty-six (86) releases (with restrictions) of adolescents (between 14 and 17 years of age), detained since July 29, in the context of the post-election protests in Venezuela,” said the NGO, which leads the defense of “political prisoners” in the country.

The NGO had reported forty releases on precautionary measures the day before, and another sixteen two days earlier.

Of the total of 86, 74 are men and 12 are women. The releases have occurred in fourteen of the country’s 24 states, including the Capital District.

According to Foro Penal, in Venezuela some 114 teenagers were arrested and charged with crimes of terrorism or treason following protests against Maduro’s re-election in the July 28 elections, which the opposition denounces as fraudulent.

The authorities have not commented on the arrests of these young people under 18 years of age. Nor about releases, although they have confirmed that 2,400 people have been detained.

Of this total, the Penal Forum has counted 1,581 as “political prisoners” and continues to receive complaints.

Maduro provided two maximum security prisons, Tocuyito and Tocorón, to hold those arrested. Both prisons were under the control of criminal gangs for years until they were occupied by law enforcement in 2023.

This week, some 700 inmates were transferred to these prisons, according to the NGO Venezuelan Prison Observatory.

The protests also left 27 dead and 192 injured.

Foro Penal reported on Wednesday that Venezuela currently has the highest number of “political prisoners” in almost 25 years, with 1,780 detainees. As of July 28, it had 199.