In Venezuela, the highest number of political prisoners is recorded so far in the 21st century, with a total of 1,963 detainees as of November 8, according to data from the NGO Foro Penal. Of this number, 1,836 were arrested after the elections in which Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner by the CNE, despite allegations of fraud and the recognition of Edmundo González Urrutia as the elected president by several countries.
Among the detainees, there are 1,801 civilians and 162 military personnel, of which 1,720 are men, 243 women, and 69 are adolescents. The Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) pointed out that the situation also includes individuals apprehended in relation to the elections of July 28. On social networks, they shared testimonies and denunciations, including photographs of one of the detainees with serious injuries, resulting from a lack of proper medical attention.
The Venezuelan opposition has demanded justice, immediate medical attention for the detainees, and their release, emphasizing that the denial of medical assistance represents a violation of human rights and carries individual responsibility for those who are obliged to provide it. They highlighted cases such as that of Jesús Martínez Medina, detained in Aragua, Anzoátegui State, as an example of the serious consequences of the lack of medical care in prison.
Despite the high number of detainees, only 149 political prisoners have any convictions to date, underscoring the alarming situation of arbitrary detention and the lack of legal guarantees in the country's judicial system.
