Venezuelan Inmates Clash With Security at Injuba Prison as 400 Political Prisoners Remain Jailed
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 25
Venezuelan Inmates Clash With Security at Injuba Prison as 400 Political Prisoners Remain Jailed
4 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 25
Barinas prison inmates climbed onto Injuba's roof, burned mattresses and clashed with security forces after protesting alleged mistreatment; witnesses reported explosions and videos showed a wounded prisoner as others shouted that guards were shooting.
More than a week of complaints under a new prison director preceded the unrest, with inmates alleging violent searches, solitary confinement and abuse, while one protest video demanded resignations and medicine for prisoners with tuberculosis.
Extra security forces were deployed to the jail, but neither the prison director nor the government of interim President Delcy Rodríguez had publicly commented on the allegations.
Rights groups say the violence fits a broader pattern in Venezuela's prisons, where poor conditions have long been denounced; the UN said in March it was still receiving torture allegations, and Foro Penal says more than 400 political prisoners remain jailed.
Is the riot at Injuba a sign that Venezuela's entire prison system is an unfixable human rights catastrophe?
Will this violent prison crackdown become new evidence in the ICC's investigation of Venezuela for crimes against humanity?
With Maduro gone, why does torture persist in Venezuelan prisons under a new US-backed government?