The Minister for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace and Secretary General of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, stated this Monday that the release of political prisoners in Venezuela "has never" been part of the agenda of the open dialogues between the National Assembly and the opposition Parliament established in 2015, which began in early August.
"Those issues have never been addressed within the tables, never," insisted the Chavista leader in an appearance before the media, in which he also emphasized that the issue of releases "has nothing to do with NGOs" nor with Foro Penal, an organization that maintains its own record of released political prisoners and those still detained.
In this context, after pointing out that "some charge money and others want to charge politically" regarding this matter, Cabello highlighted that the points discussed between representatives of the government and sectors of the opposition "have been very clear."
"There, everyone defends their little parcel," said the PSUV leader, pointing out that, according to his version, there are opposition members who would be demanding the release of people from their environment involved in crimes, including some linked to drug trafficking.
In parallel, the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, reiterated this Monday the information she had already provided more than a week earlier about the number of people released since the beginning of the United States intervention in the country at the beginning of the year, within the framework of the so-called Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence.
"As a result of the Democratic Coexistence and Peace Program, to date, 1,046 Venezuelans have been released, 12,000 people have received procedural benefits, and we will continue to advance responsibly," stated the occupant of Miraflores, admitting that there are still "important problems to solve."
For its part, the latest report from Foro Penal indicates that this NGO has only been able to certify the release of 78 political prisoners "since August 14" of this year.