El Rodeo I, Tocorón, Ramo Verde, El Helicoide and Yare II are the prisons with the most political prisoners in Venezuela and they are among the most mentioned in the reports on these cases, although they are barely five of the 120 centers where people remain who, according to NGOs, are imprisoned for political reasons.
Behind him release announcement made the day before by president of the National Assembly (AN), Jorge Rodríguezwithout specifying identities, family members, activists and lawyers They have gone to different prisons in search of information.
The NGO Penal Forumwho directs the defense of political prisoners, registered the January 5 806 people in this condition, of which 68 are missing and 9 under house arrest.
Currently, Foro Penal figures at 811 arrested.
Isolation at El Rodeo I
The organization identified 102 political prisoners in the Rodeo I Judicial Confinement Centeramong them Rafael Tudaresson-in-law of the opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutiaas well as several foreigners.
In this prison, located in the Miranda statehe Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP) denounced that the authorities They deny information about the detaineeskeeping them in a vulnerable situation.
Likewise, he reported that five political prisoners accumulated 49 days in a “punishment regime”without visits or access to food and medicine.
According to the NGO, Henryberth Rivas, Antonio Sequea, Juan Carlos Monasterios, Rafael Castro and a person identified as “Franco” they remained in extreme conditions: “handcuffed 24 hours a day, naked and with limited access to food and water”.
Tocorón, where the Aragua Train was born
In it Aragua Penitentiary Center (Tocorón)where the criminal gang was born Aragua TrainPenal Forum registered 99 political prisoners.
This prison was reactivated as “maximum security prison” by order of Nicolas Maduro in August 2024to lock up more than 2,400 detainees after the protests after the July presidential elections.
Maduro stated that the objective was “re-education” and convert them into “productive farms”.
For this same purpose, the Carabobo Judicial Confinement Center (Tocuyito)where there is 14 political prisoners.
Ramo Verde, the prison of Leopoldo López
He National Center for Military Prosecutions and Penalties (Green Branch) houses 77 political prisoners.
He was held there General Raúl Isaías Baduelformer Minister of Defense of Hugo Chavezwho died in custody in 2021 after almost ten years in prison.
Despite being a military prison, the opponent was also there Leopoldo Lopez between 2014 and 2017.
The dreaded Helicoid
In The Helicoidheadquarters of Sebin in Caracasthere is 57 political prisoners. On Thursday night they were released Enrique Marquez and Biagio Pilieri.
This prison has been described by NGOs as the “largest torture center in Latin America”.
There they are found opposition leaders and collaborators of María Corina Machadoincluding Freddy Superlano and Jesús Armas.
NGOs denounce torture, ill-treatment and prolonged isolation.
The remaining prisons
The centers Yare II and Yare III they house 42 and 38 political prisonersrespectively.
the center New Man “The Liberator” (Fénix Carabobo) register 20 arrested.
women’s prisons La Crisálida (20 detainees) and the National Institute for Women’s Guidance (16) complete the first ten positions.
The 110 remaining prisons include common prisons, police stations, military centers and National Guard commands.
From 2015the OVP has registered 25 deaths of political prisoners in custodythe most recent that of former governor Alfredo Díazoccurred on December 6 at El Helicoide.
Until now, the Government has not published an official list of those releasedwhile NGOs and the largest opposition coalition have verified the release of between 8 and 11 peopleincluding five spanish.
