Venezuela has moved more than 700 protesters to maximum security prisons

Venezuelan authorities have transferred more than 700 people arrested in the wake of protests over the country's disputed presidential election to maximum security prisons, according to a count by non-governmental organizations.

The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory said on Saturday that the detained protesters had been held in police stations across the country, In the past week, he has been transferred to the prisons of Tocuyito and Tocoron, which were once controlled by gangs. The two prisons are notorious in Venezuela.

The Observatory said many of the transfers were suspicious, that relatives of detainees were not informed that they were being transferred to the two prisons, that detainees were not allowed to contact their families or lawyers, and that there were numerous irregularities in the transfer process.

Venezuela held a presidential election on July 28, and the National Electoral Commission announced that President Nicolas Maduro was re-elected in the early hours of the next day. The opposition challenged the results and its supporters took to the streets in protest. Despite the Supreme Court's confirmation last week of Maduro's victory and re-election as president, opposition has continued.

During the protests that erupted after the election, authorities reportedly arrested more than 2,400 people, 1,581 of whom were listed as political prisoners by a group called Penal Forum, including 114 juveniles. Violence during the demonstrations resulted in 27 deaths and 192 injuries.