At least 12 post-election prisoners in the Tocuyito prison tried to commit suicide last week out of desperation, according to the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners. Visits were suspended for at least three relatives of detainees in the Tocuyito and El Helicoide prisons for denouncing their situation.
Dozens of relatives of political prisoners and citizens gathered this Sunday in the Plaza de La Castellana (Chacao municipality, Miranda state) in a vigil to demand the release of all political prisoners before the end of the year. They also demanded that the authorities include those detained before and after the July 28 elections in the releases announced by the Attorney General’s Office.
Before 4:00 pm they began to arrive at the rally, part of a global demonstration to ask the International Criminal Court to intervene in the Venezuelan situation. He Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners For his part, he denounced the desperation to which the more than 1,800 detained adolescents, men and women are subjected.
According to the Committee, at least 12 prisoners in the Tocuyito prison (in the state of Carabobo) attempted suicide last week. This is a situation that is constantly repeated in the rest of the prisons, said an activist. They also reported that a young man suffered a stroke on November 27 and his relatives informed him three days later. Three other women, relatives of those detained for political reasons in Tocuyito and Sebin El Helicoide, were prohibited from visiting for participating in another vigil and denouncing their situation.
Yelitza Vergara is the mother of Miguel González, one of the post-election detainees in the Yare III prison (Miranda state). On July 28, he was arrested by PNB officials in Acarigua, Portuguesa state. After passing through two police commands, he was transferred on August 26 to Yare III. Since then she has seen him four times, and on each visit she finds him thinner. The last time they weighed him it was found that he has lost 15 kilos in weight. He is also nervous and his body is cold.
«Please don’t harm his future. That is what I ask of this government. Don’t harm the future of my son and that bunch of 18, 19 or 20 year old boys. Not even if they are 40 or 50 years old, there are mothers suffering from seeing their children put there unjustly,” Vergara cried.
Now the young man faces trial for alleged crimes such as terrorism and inciting hatred. Vergara requests that prosecutor Tarek William Saab take into account all post-election prisoners in the judicial review measures he announced. «Not reviewing some, it has to be all of them because I have had the opportunity, while my son was missing, to talk with mothers from Tocuyito, Tocorón and Yare and I saw anguish and sadness in their faces. “They are kids of 18, 19 or 20 years old who are unjustly imprisoned.”
That is the same request made by Oscar Murillo, general coordinator of Provea, who pointed out the “little transparency” in these cases, since the list of 225 releases that were granted in mid-November is not known. Considers it necessary that all the causes under review be known and the granting of precautionary measures be accelerated.
Murillo asked the authorities to “reflect” to end arbitrary arrests and confinement of prisoners. «The cause of the release of political prisoners and those detained after July 28 is a national cry. “I believe that everyone in Venezuela, and I dare say that all sectors, is crying out for an end to the suffering of the families who have someone detained.”
Some citizens also participated in the vigil with red hands or marks on their faces, a call made by the Con Vzla Command for this December 1. Karina Molina was one of them. He explained that he went out to protest not only for the freedom of political prisoners, but to vindicate their right to demonstrate.
He said that he decided to put a red hand on his face “because it represents the right that all Venezuelans have to dissent,” something that, at present, he considers has been reduced to a minimum. Another woman, also with the red mark but who preferred to protect her identity, stated that “here we are on a ship adrift and we need the International Criminal Court to act. “We need international justice.”
The relatives released balloons with the names of the detainees as part of the vigil, which culminated after the reading of several Bible verses and a rosary, and lit candles that formed the words: “Christmas without political prisoners.” Sairam Rivas, on behalf of the Committee, pointed out that the worst thing that can happen to a detainee for political reasons is oblivion, which is why he asked citizens to continue supporting the fight for their immediate release.
Diego Casanova, a relative of a political prisoner, assured that they are not going to keep quiet about such injustice. «We are going to continue denouncing those who today try to use our relatives as bargaining chips. “Here are mothers, brothers and wives who are going to continue fighting until the end for the freedom of all prisoners.”
While Andreína Baduel, sister of Josnar Baduel, thanked the citizens for their support. “Our political prisoners from the different prisons are united in prayer at this moment, crying out for their freedom, crying out for justice and with the firm conviction that this has to happen, that no one else be tortured.”
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