By Vivian Sequera and Julia Symmes Cobb
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela does not prosecute people for their political opinions and holds no political prisoners, Attorney General Tarek Saab said ahead of presidential elections he says should be peaceful.
Campaigning for the presidential vote, where President Nicolas Maduro is seeking his third term amid notable support for opposition coalition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, has been marked by arrests of people connected to the opposition, accusations of conspiracy and warnings about possible fraud.
Advocacy groups estimate nearly 290 people are detained nationwide for political reasons, often on charges of terrorism or conspiracy.
“There are more than 300 people in jail, not for political motives, but for being involved in terrorist attacks,” Saab told Reuters in an interview late on Tuesday in his high-rise Caracas office.
“We do not prosecute anyone – I’m the head of legal action – for their political opinion,” Saab said.
The opposition has denounced the arrests and other moves by the authorities as efforts to harm its campaign and prevent a fair election.
The head of security for opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was arrested last week and later released. Several dozen of Machado’s allies have also been detained.
“People haven’t been out to vote and they are already saying it’s fraud,” Saab said, adding Sunday’s vote, in which some 21.3 million people are eligible to cast ballots, will be peaceful.
Prestigious election observers, including representatives of the Carter Center, will be watching, he said.
“The table is set for this to be a very special moment,” Saab said. “I call for everything to occur in peace, for the environment to be an environment of respect, for the electoral results to be respected.”
If the National Electoral Council (CNE) officially reports potential fraud, it will be investigated, Saab said, adding election fraud has not occurred for a quarter-century, since the socialist ruling party took power.
The opposition boycotted the 2018 presidential vote where Maduro, in power since 2013, won his second term. His victory that year is considered fraudulent by the United States and others.
Appeals judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in March rejected Venezuela’s appeal against the resumption of an investigation into alleged rights abuses by government officials.
“What do they have to investigate if the attorney general’s office has done it,” Saab said, adding 615 police officers and other state officials involved in abuses during anti-government protests in 2014 and 2017 have been convicted.
(Reporting by Vivian Sequera and Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Stephen Coates)
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