(Bloomberg) -- About 77 opposition supporters and aides have been arrested since Venezuela’s presidential campaign began on July 4, a Caracas-based human rights organization reported on Tuesday.
That adds to a total of 102 people detained this year around opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González’s campaigns and rallies, Foro Penal’s director, Alfredo Romero, said Tuesday. Nearly 70 of them have already been released, some after just hours of being detained, according to co-director Gonzalo Himiob.
The arrests come weeks before Venezuela’s presidential elections set for July 28. Maduro, currently lagging around 20 percentage points behind González in most polls, is seeking reelection for a third consecutive term.
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