In Venezuela’s El Rodeo maximum security prison, some of those detained for political reasons are subject to forced intubation – and prolonged confinement in a sealed underground cistern.
In the Fuerte Guaicaipuro military facility, prisoners have been confined in pit-like cells dug below ground level, exposed to cold, food deprivation and other degrading practices the UN qualifies as torture.
These observations from the independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela published on Tuesday are part of a broader finding: following the US military rendition of then-President Nicolás Maduro in early January, State institutions responsible for repression, gross human rights violations and crimes against humanity remain fundamentally intact.
Despite some small improvements since the change of government at the top – most notably a significant decline in long-term detentions, enforced disappearances, and the release of hundreds of political prisoners – Venezuelans continue to endure severe human rights violations.
by UN News – Repression continues in Venezuela in the face of ‘appalling’ human rights violations
