Elections in Venezuela: This called the American diplomat adds to the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States

Under Secretary of State for Latin America, Roberta Jacobson, asked on Wednesday for the release of "political prisoners" in Venezuela, after a meeting with relatives of some prisoners opposition leaders.

"The release of political prisoners in #Venezuela should have happened long time," tweeted Jacobson, who met in Washington with Lilian Tintori, leader of the opposition wife Leopoldo Lopez, currently incarcerated.

"Together with families, I ask for their release," he added.

Jacobson welcomed in another tweet the "brave" Tintori to continue his activism "despite great personal risk."

This called the American diplomat adds to the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, who on Tuesday asked the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to sign the amnesty law passed by Parliament.

The law, approved on Tuesday by the majority opposition in the National Assembly, tries to get out of prison 76 people, including Lopez, and hundreds of "persecuted and exiled" for his opposition to Chavez, according to parliamentarians.

But Maduro, political heir of former President Hugo Chavez said that will not budge, arguing that the law violates the Constitution and international human rights conventions.

The president has the legal deadline until Friday to decide on the initiative.

Ties between Washington and Caracas without ambassadors since 2010, have been strained in recent weeks.


In an interview with CNN in March, US President Barack Obama, has declared in favor of Venezuelans to choose the "as soon as possible", a "legitimate" government to implement better economic policies.