Rio de Janeiro, 7 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The human rights organization Provea reported on Tuesday that a total of 24 people died in protests following the July 28 presidential election in Venezuela, which was marred by serious fraud allegations.

Provea said on social media platform X that in at least nine of the killings, armed pro-government civilian groups, so-called Colectivos, had been identified by eyewitnesses as possible perpetrators.

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) also spoke of "credible reports of 24 deaths" in connection with the protests.

Numerous people in Venezuela have demonstrated in recent days against what they believe to be a manipulated election. State authorities have cracked down harshly, with over 2,000 people arrested so far, according to government statements.

After the election on July 28, Venezuela's electoral authority declared authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, the winner. However, it has not yet published the itemized results of the individual voting districts.

The opposition is accusing the government of electoral fraud and is claiming victory for its candidate, Edmundo González.

The US and half a dozen Latin American countries have recognized González as the winner. The European Union said it would not recognize the result of the presidential election in Venezuela without the full disclosure of the official voting record.