The president of Venezuela's parliament, Jorge Rodriguez, announced that more than 400 people have been released from prison, as part of a process announced last week, which he said was intended as a gesture of peace.
Human rights groups, however, put the number of those released at between 60 and 70, with complaints about the slow pace of the process and a lack of information. Venezuela's prison administration said on Monday that 116 people had been released from prison, Reuters reported.
Foro Penal, a leading local NGO that provides legal assistance to detainees, said that at least 800 political prisoners were behind bars at the beginning of the year.
The Venezuelan government claims that it does not hold political prisoners and that those arrested are charged with legitimate crimes.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado, who is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, is one of the most vocal advocates for the release of prisoners, including some of her close allies.
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