Juan Barreto, AFP | Venezuelan retired general Angel Omar Vivas is seen at the Foreign Ministry in Caracas, after being released by the government on June 1, 2018.

Dozens of activists in Venezuela who government opponents considered political prisoners were released from jail Friday in what authorities called a gesture aimed at uniting the fractured nation.

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Among the 39 prisoners set free under strict conditions was Daniel Ceballos, who had been detained for four years for promoting protests as mayor of the western city of San Cristobal, according to Venezuela's Supreme Court.

President Nicolas Maduro said after being re-elected May 20 in a contested victory that chief among his conciliatory measures would be releasing prisoners jailed for acts against the government.

Maduro said on state television Friday that the freed prisoners had him to thank for going home, despite having been prosecuted for their crimes.

"It's a sign of strength and not weakness, as some have said," Maduro said. "No more violence, please. No more war."

The issue of the prisoners has been a sticking point during reconciliation talks, and opposition leader Laidy Gomez said discussions with Maduro on Thursday were focused on ending political persecution.

Maduro called for some prisoners to be let go, but ruled out the release of those accused of homicide.

Ceballos, 34, was accused in 2014 of the crimes of rebellion and illegal association to commit wrongful acts, charges rejected by his lawyers, relatives and opponents.

Released to go home, Ceballos must report to authorities monthly, cannot leave Venezuela and may not talk to the media or comment on social media, according to the court.

Human rights groups say that even after this round of releases, more than 300 political prisoners remained illegally jailed in Venezuela.

Delcy Rodriguez, president of the Constituent National Assembly, said this is the first round and promised more prisoner releases.

In May, Maduro's government freed 20 people who were arrested during protests against widespread blackouts. It also freed Joshua Holt, a Utah man who had been jailed nearly two years earlier on weapons charges that U.S. officials considered bogus.

But Alfredo Romero, director of the prisoner rights group Foro Penal, said he fears officials will now round up more of its opponents, in a repeating cycle.

"They clear out a cell, and then they fill it with new people," Romero said, calling it Venezuela's "revolving door."

It is not known whether officials will release opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuela's most famous prisoner, who remains under house arrest.

Lopez is a charismatic former mayor from an upscale Caracas neighborhood from a prominent Venezuelan family. He was accused of inciting big anti-government street protests and sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison.

Heavily armed police from Venezuela's intelligence service guard his front door around the clock.

The releases Friday followed Maduro's instructions to a so-called truth commission under the Constituent Assembly, which reviewed the cases.

"Venezuela's judicial Branch will continue to guarantee citizens' access to justice, due process and respect for human rights," Supreme Court President Maikel Moreno said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, legislators from six South American countries met Friday in the Colombian town of Cucuta on Venezuela's border to discuss Venezuela's humanitarian crisis and reject the Maduro election to a second six-year term.

The lawmakers from Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Argentina issued a statement saying Maduro leads a "repressive government" that "systematically violates human rights."

(AP)

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