108,000 Venezuelans have fled the country since June 28 due to political persecution, according to Smolansky

The Venezuelan leader in exile, David Smolansky, assured that more than 100,000 Venezuelans have left the country after the July 28 elections due to “Operation Tun-Tun.” a police operation in which the arrest of opponents was implemented.

In the middle of his statements during the forum “Enhancing international coordination on Venezuelan migrant integration”, organized by the Atlantic Council, the leader pointed out that this has been the largest migratory wave recorded since it began a decade ago.

«According to official figures, at least 108,000 Venezuelans have fled the country since July 28. We are talking about children, adolescents, women and people who were strongly persecuted for working in the political campaign of the July elections,” said the former mayor of the El Hatillo municipality (2014-2017), Miranda state.

My presentation at @AtlanticCouncil in Washington DC on Venezuelan migration after July 28. Nobody is fleeing because of the sanctions, the almost 200 thousand Venezuelans who have left the country after the elections have been because of “Operation Tun-Tun”, because of the dictatorship. pic.twitter.com/pYm1rkNXyA

— David Smolansky (@dsmolansky) November 21, 2024

“Let us remember that the regime began the Tun-Tun operation after July 28, where members of the DGCIM, the Sebin, the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), went to our houses and knocked on the doors to illegally detain people,” explained the politician. .

However, he said he was convinced that when a political transition occurs “people will stop fleeing and we will probably see the largest return of migrants in history.”

He stated that, according to surveys, many Venezuelans are convinced of returning “once a political change occurs.”