Venezuela frees dozens of prisoners arrested after Maduro’s election victory

By Abel Alvarado and Veronica Calderon, CNN

(CNN) — Dozens of people detained during protests over Venezuela’s disputed presidential election have been released, according to the local rights group Foro Penal.

Fifty people were released from the Tocorón prison in the state of Aragua and 20 more from three other prisons, Foro Penal’s leader Alfredo Romero said early Saturday.

Video footage from outside one of the prisons shows some of those released hugging loved ones surrounded by cheering crowds.

According to Foro Penal, more than 1,800 people have been detained for protesting July’s election, which saw strongman President Nicolas Maduro reelected despite widespread skepticism about the result in Venezuela and abroad.

Human Rights Watch has said there are “credible” reports of 24 people being killed during the crackdown on the protests.

More releases could be on the way, with Venezuela’s Attorney General saying Friday it would review the cases of more than 200 people detained during the protests.

The releases come after one protester died in custody.

Jesús Manuel Martínez Medina, a member of the opposition party Vente Venezuela, was detained on August 2 and had been in hospital since October 11.

The Attorney General said Friday he had died in hospital after receiving “adequate medical attention,” but did not specify the date of his death.

Venezuela has been in a state of crisis since the July election, when Venezuela’s electoral authority – a body stacked with Maduro allies – declared him the winner with 51% of the vote.

But tens of thousands of tallies published by the opposition suggested a win for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez.

Multiple countries have refused to recognize Maduro’s victory.

Maduro – a follower of “Chavismo,” the left-wing populist ideology named after his predecessor Hugo Chávez – is set to begin his third consecutive six-year term in January.

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