- Half of the deaths were due to clashes between inmates, the NGO said | Main photo: Unsplash
The Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) reported on Friday, July 26, that clashes within the country’s prisons have left around thirty dead in 2023.
In total, the non-governmental organization (NGO) recorded 61 deaths in 2023, 19.7% less than in 2022, when it recorded 76.
The remaining 31 in 2023 died of health reasons, a decrease of 43.6% compared to the 55 deaths from this cause in 2022.
In the annual report Degradation, contempt and abandonment: characteristics of the penitentiary systemThe OVP noted that most health-related deaths were “from causes associated with respiratory infections, tuberculosis and malnutrition.”
“The continued disregard for the right to health has represented one of the main risks to the life and integrity of people in prison,” he says.
In addition to those who died in prisons, the OVP also recorded 25 inmates who died for health reasons in “the different police cells in the country” during the past year.
OVP denounced violations of the right to health
Another problem documented by the OVP in its report is the “continuous violations of the right to health.”
These included failure to provide medical care at all stages, from prevention, diagnosis, control and treatment of diseases, as well as the absence of spaces that meet basic health and hygiene standards.
“Penitentiary facilities in Venezuela are hotbeds for the spread of diseases that put at risk the lives and integrity of not only the people who are imprisoned there, but also the prison staff and visitors,” he warned.
The observatory also warned of the increasing lack of proper personal hygiene in prisons, due to an irregular and non-existent supply of water, unsanitary conditions, overcrowding and a lack of personal hygiene products.
They denounce that the detainees do not have three meals a day
On the other hand, the OVP noted in its report that “hunger continues to reign in prison facilities.” ONG He explained the lack of variety in the menu and that many inmates do not have three meals a day.
“The menu, far from changing, remains with the same characteristics that make compliance with food and nutritional security impossible,” he explained.
In this regard, the detainees do not have three meals a day, nor do they have the consumption of proteins, vegetables or fruits.
Therefore, he adds, access to food “depends, to a large extent, on the contribution of family members and loved ones.” He also denounced that the sale of meals inside prisons, which range from 5 to 10 dollars, has become a common practice.
Last year, prisons were overcrowded by 73%, with 29,565 inmates, despite the fact that the prison capacity is 17,088 people, a figure that has been reduced as a result of the closure of prisons, according to the OVP.
OVP denounced that the penitentiary system does not guarantee the lives of visitors
On July 17, the OVP reported that The prison system in Venezuela is “chaotic and negligent”because they cannot guarantee the right to life of visitors.
In a message posted on its X account (formerly Twitter), the observatory indicated that negligence was evident after the murder of Francely Alexandra Sierra Saltos, 24 years old, who was strangled by a prisoner in module 2 of the Yare II Penitentiary Center, located in Valles del Tuy, in Miranda state.
“At this point, it is important to highlight that it is the State’s responsibility to guarantee the physical integrity of persons deprived of liberty and of the family members who enter the facilities of a prison for visits,” he stressed.
The OVP recalled that Yare II is a prison that is under provisional measures by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR).
With information from EFE
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2024-07-26 20:25:58
