Inmates gathered on the roof of the prison and hung banners reading “SOS», «They torture us» or even «No more torture, no more torture».
Hundreds of prisoners took control of a prison in Barinas (west of Venezuela) on Sunday, denouncing “tortures» and demanding the dismissal of the director of the establishment, noted AFP journalists. Inmates gathered on the roof of the prison and hung banners. On some we could read “SOS», «They torture us». «No more torture, no more torture“, chanted the detainees in unison.
Several had their faces covered. Large columns of smoke rose from the Judicial Boarding School of Barinas (Injuba), the stronghold of ex-president Hugo Chávez (1999-2013), some 500 km from Caracas. The detainees set mattresses and sheets on fire. Police officers equipped with shields took up positions around the establishment while dozens of relatives of detainees gathered together, worried about the situation.
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Yelitza Arrollo, without news of her son since May 8, told AFP that the guards “they locked him up, beat him» and that the prisoners «suffer, because they are beaten in a truly horrible way, they are tortured, cold water is thrown at them, electric shocks are given to them, they are set on fire, they are mistreated a lot, we want the director removed».
“1,200 men and more than 100 women deprived of their liberty”
The NGO Observatorio Venezuela de Prisiones (OVP) wrote in a text on social networks that «1,200 men and more than 100 women deprived of their liberty at the Judicial Boarding School of Barinas (Injuba) declared themselves on strike». «The Ministry of Prison Services ignores the inmates, who have been denouncing mistreatment for more than a week: they are not listened to, on the contrary, they are shot at and gassed at them», adds OVP.
In April, the government confirmed the death of five people during a mutiny in the high security prison of Yare III (70 km from Caracas). In 2023, deposed President Nicolás Maduro ordered a military operation to intervene in the country’s main prisons, controlled for years by gangs.
Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who succeeded Mr. Maduro after his capture by the US army in January, notably promised judicial reform.
