The Minister of the Interior and general secretary of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, stated this Monday that the release of political prisoners It is not part of the conversations between the government and a sector of the opposition, despite the fact that the opposition delegation maintains that the matter is included in the discussions.
“Releases? (…) That has not been touched on there, it has never been touched on,” Cabello responded during the PSUV’s weekly press conference, when asked about the possibility that the releases were addressed. at the negotiating table backed by the United States.
The Chavista leader also defended the conduct of the talks by the President of Parliament, Jorge Rodríguez, and assured that the party leadership supports the issues that are discussed in that space.
“Whatever is discussed at the table, we support,” insisted Cabello, who was accompanied during the press conference by members of the official delegation, including deputies Pedro Infante, América Pérez and Jorge Arreaza. His statements were broadcast by the state Venezuelan Television (VTV).
Opposition seeks to integrate issue of political prisoners at table
The statements occur after the head of the opposition delegation, Dinorah Figueraaffirmed on Saturday that the situation of political prisoners is part of the dialogue, although it does not formally appear among the points on the agenda.
Figuera met that day with members of the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners, an organization that assured that the opponent “committed to maintaining active listening and including the issue in political discussions.”
The difference in positions arises while the second round of talks between both parties advances in Caracas. The delegations began this new round on Thursday and plan to hold meetings until this Wednesday.
At this stage, the parties installed a technical table dedicated to freedom of expression and the right to information, in addition to creating a commission “in charge of ensuring continuous compliance with the established agreements and commitments.”
The situation of those detained for political reasons remains one of the issues raised by human rights and family organizations. He Penal Forum counted As of last week, there were 344 political prisoners in Venezuela, including 32 foreigners or people with dual nationality.
The conversations take place at the Meliá Caracas hotel, the same setting used during the first cycle. In that round, the parties agreed to address the renewal of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and the recovery of Venezuelan gold reserves held in England to allocate them to care for those affected by the June earthquakes.
Cabello had already ruled out on August 24 that the situation of the political prisoners was being discussed at the dialogue table.
