Protest erupts at Venezuela prison, US inmate pleas for help

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Inmates at a crowded Caracas detention center have taken over part of the prison, days before Venezuelan elections, demanding speedier judicial proceedings and better medical care, a rights group said Thursday.

Authorities insisted the situation was calm, as families of prisoners gathered outside for news. The US meanwhile expressed concern over a US citizen among the inmates, who had issued a cry for help.

Earlier this week, posts on social media alleged dire conditions, including torture, at the prison, which is run by the feared Sebin intelligence service and holds hundreds of inmates.

People hold up letters to form the word 'Freedom' during a protest by NGO Foro Penal for the release of political prisoners, Februayr 24, 2018. /VCG Photo

On Thursday, prisoners rights group Foro Penal said about 54 opposition prisoners had been taking part in the protest since Wednesday at Sebin’s Helicoide center in Caracas.

The prisoners are demanding the immediate release of 20 inmates who have been ordered free on bail, speedier court processes and medical care.

Venezuela's state prosecutor Tarek William Saab played down the situation inside the prison, saying it was calm, and told CNN's Spanish-language service that negotiations were underway between his office, the ministry for penitentiary affairs and Sebin "to evaluate the cases that may have experienced a procedural delay."

Alfredo Romero, head of Foro Penal, however complained: "The only information that we have is unofficial, from audios that come from inside. We know that the internal protest is being maintained but we have no information about the detained."

"The protest is peaceful. They do not have weapons," Jorge Fernandez, father of one of the prisoners, also said. "What we demand is that justice be done."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a campaign rally in Charallave, about 65 km from Caracas, on May 15, 2018. /VCG Photo

Activists say the protest was precipitated by the beating of activist Gregory Sanabria, who later appeared with a bruised face in pictures on social media.

Rights groups and opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro say several hundred political prisoners have been unfairly jailed. Maduro has insisted however that all jailed activists are being held on legitimate charges of violence and subversion.

On Wednesday, videos posted on social media by men identifying themselves as prisoners at Helicoide alleged tear gas and weapons had been fired at detainees.

"All the prisoners who are abducted here… are tortured daily," a man also said in one of the videos.

Joshua Holt, a US missionary jailed since 2016 whose family has said was framed on weapons charges, also issued a plea for help on social media, saying detainees were being held without trial and that some were being denied medical attention.

Screenshot of Joshua Holt's Facebook page. /CGTN

Top officials have labelled him a US spy.

"We continue to have serious concerns about the safety and welfare of US citizens who are being held there," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Thursday, citing Holt's video.

Venezuelan authorities have refused to meet with the US head of mission in Caracas, despite repeated attempts, she added.

The incidents come ahead of Sunday's presidential election in which socialist incumbent Maduro, who has been accused of using the Sebin to crack down on opponents, is seeking a second six-year term in the crisis-hit nation whose economy is crippled.

(Cover: Security forces are seen at the entrance of the detention centre El Helicoide, the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), in Caracas, Venezuela, May 17, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters