CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuela’s state prosecutor said yesterday the death toll from a month of violent protests had risen to 28, after the nation’s top court ordered opposition mayors to dismantle barricades set up by street protesters.

State prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz, speaking on the sidelines of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, also said 1,293 detainees had been released and 104 remained in custody accused of serious crimes during the anti-government demonstrations.

“We need to ensure there is no impunity and it must be fully investigated to determine whether those people held in jail are the authors of those homicides,” she said.