Venezuela released 99 prisoners on Christmas, with the government calling it a goodwill gesture as it assesses arrests made after President Nicolas Maduro's reelection.
"The national government and the justice system have decided to evaluate each case individually and, in accordance with the law," released 99 citizens "as a concrete expression of the State's commitment to peace, dialogue and justice," the Ministry of Penitentiary Services said.
"They were deprived of liberty for their participation in acts of violence and incitement to hatred following the electoral day of July 28, 2024," government officials added.
Tumultuous post-election demonstrations followed Maduro's widely disputed claim to reelection in 2024, with the opposition claiming victory for the now-exiled former ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia.
Around 2,400 people were arrested but nearly 2,000 have since been released.
The release conditions for those freed on Dec. 25 were unclear.
In Venezuela, there are at least 902 political prisoners, according to the most recent count available from Foro Penal, a local NGO.
The ministry's statement confirmed an earlier report about the Christmas Day releases from the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners, an advocacy group made up of rights activists and relatives of political prisoners.
