In Venezuela, Maduro’s opponents must not lose faith in elections | Reynaldo Trombetta Read moreThirteen were paraded in front of TV cameras at a meeting with a senior official, Delcy Rodriguez. Alfredo Romero, whose Penal Forum group tracks the detention of activists and protesters, said 36 “political prisoners” had been freed by Sunday morning. Opponents say they are fighting for freedom against a “dictatorship” that has destroyed the Opec nation’s economy and democracy. “Maduro in Venezuela cynically ‘releases’ 80 political prisoners who were actually innocent, parades and humiliates several on state TV … and expects thanks for Christmas ‘mercy’,” tweeted the Republican representative from Florida. The releases “concretely demonstrate the revolution and President Nicolás Maduro’s firm desire for dialogue,” said the foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza.

Source: The Guardian December 24, 2017 21:22 UTC