Politics Amnesty Calls For Venezuela To Release Political Detainees By: Global News Date: August 29, 2023 Text size Amnesty International called on Tuesday for the release of about 300 people being held in Venezuela for political reasons, slamming the country’s “politically-motivated arbitrary detentions”. In a new report, Amnesty said the detentions were used to silence “those who dissent from the government of Nicolas Maduro or for other political purposes.” The group identified patterns in the detentions that included arrests without warrants, a “lack of judicial independence”, use of “ambiguous” laws, and “incommunicado detention and isolation of detainees.” Rights groups estimate there are about 300 political prisoners in Venezuela, including nine cases Amnesty said are “emblematic” of abuses in the penal system. The imprisonments were meant to send a “message of intimidation, often aimed at family members or people close to those who are being repressed,” Amnesty said in the report on detentions between 2018 and 2023. “The rights to freedom, to a fair trial, to integrity and freedom from torture or ill-treatment are often violated through these practices,” it said. One highlighted case was that of Javier Tarazona, founder of the FundaRedes rights group, who was arrested in 2021 and charged with “terrorism” after accusing the Maduro government of links to the Colombian guerrilla group ELN. Amnesty called on Venezuela to release all political detainees and urged the international community to demand guarantees to prevent such practices from being repeated. It also called on the International Criminal Court to include the cases in its investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by Maduro’s administration. ba/pgf/db/dva/aha Previous articleHurricane Idalia path and timeline: When and where meteorologists project the storm will hit FloridaNext articleUK air travel disruption to last for days -minister Global News Share post: FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsApp SubscribeI want inI've read and accept the Privacy Policy. Popular ‘I feel sick at the prospect of cuts to health benefits’ Fidelity (FIS) Debuts Treasury GPT AI Tool for Finance Automation San Francisco’s new ‘entertainment zones’ benefit businesses with planned discussions for more of them Monster storm across the US sparks scores of tornadoes and fire, killing at least 17 UU Wallet Secures U.S. MSB License, Embarking on a New Chapter of Global Compliance with Security at Its Core More like thisRelated ‘I feel sick at the prospect of cuts to health benefits’ Global News - March 16, 2025 Tom Espiner & Charlotte EdwardsBusiness reporters, BBC NewsAlisonAlba, 53,... Fidelity (FIS) Debuts Treasury GPT AI Tool for Finance Automation Global News - March 16, 2025 We recently published a... San Francisco’s new ‘entertainment zones’ benefit businesses with planned discussions for more of them Global News - March 15, 2025 SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- From outdoor concerts to night... Monster storm across the US sparks scores of tornadoes and fire, killing at least 17 Global News - March 15, 2025