Versión Español
EspañolOn Sunday, the attorney general of Venezuela announced the release of 173 of the 243 protesters arrested last Thursday in Caracas while camping out and protesting the government of Nicolás Maduro.
Of those set free, 155 will be required to report regularly to the court, a measure severely criticized by local human rights NGOs, such as Provea, who consider it an attempt by the regime to criminalize student protests that have swept the country since February. Three protesters were released on bail and five college students will be subjected to medical treatment due to “drug consumption.”
According to a statement issued by the attorney general’s office, eight of those arrested in the campsite raids were transferred to a prison in downtown Caracas and three others to cells at the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) for crimes ranging from “illegal possession of a firearm,” “incitement to disobedience,” to “violent property damage,” and “conspiracy to commit a crime.”
Last Thursday, in the early morning hours, the Bolivarian National Police and the National Guard dismantled three campsites in Caracas. The arrests reignited anti-government protests nationwide, which in the past three months has left 42 dead, 800 wounded, 2,800 arrested, and 161 still in prison).
Source: Reuters.
