The testimonies of the mothers of those arrested in the post-election crackdown against the democratic opposition in Lara State are heartbreaking, with more than 40 people “deprived of liberty” (euphemism for imprisoned) and who are now accused of terrorism.
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The arrests began on July 30th, for the sole fact of protesting and demanding the publication of the “actas” (official records) and transparency in the election results. In response to this, Nicolás Maduro’s regime has been applying in all the states of the country the so-called “Operación tun tun” (Operation knock knock), which is a police procedure of persecution and harassment against citizens to arrest them arbitrarily.
In Lara, most of the detainees were transferred to the Carabobo Judicial Internment Center, better known as the “Tocuyito prison”, a facility where the State set up special areas to house people detained under this charge against the opposition.
Mothers of some detainees from Lara held in the Tocuyito prison, gave their testimonies to lapatilla.1eye.us of what they have had to live through, and revealed the inhumane conditions in which their loved ones are kept.
Without revealing their identity to protect the integrity of each of them, the mother of a young man from Lara detained on August 8th, said that SEBIN officials took her son from his workplace.
She commented that the first hours after the young man’s arrest were terrifying for the entire family, since they knew nothing about the whereabouts of her son. At that time, the tour of the different detention centers and security forces offices of Lara State began until they finally managed to confirm that he was being held in a police command, located on Fuerzas Armadas Avenue in the city of Barquisimeto.
The mother said that her son was subjected to two hearings, where he was accused of the crime of terrorism.
After being held in that police station, her son was transferred to the Bolivarian National Police headquarters in “Pata e’ Palo”, east of Barquisimeto. There, each mother had to pay 5 dollars to be able to see her children, and between 80 and 100 dollars to move the detainee to a more “comfortable” space and in better conditions.
In this police center, family members had the possibility of bringing them food, water and medicine daily, as well as having more frequent visits.
Early transfer
Almost three weeks later, between “gallos y medianoche” (cockcrows and midnight), without any notification, the young man and the rest of the political prisoners were transferred to Tocuyito.
The woman explained that they had not heard from her son for two weeks. Later, they were informed that the detainees were in the Tocuyito prison.
These people have spent more than 40 days in the prison, located in Carabobo State more than 100 miles away, and have only been able to see their children once.
In this prison, only women are allowed to visit the prisoners, for a period of 30 minutes.
Visiting days are a trek for these women, who must travel from Lara to Carabobo the night before in order to arrive at the scheduled time very early in the morning.
The relatives were organized into groups of 20 mothers each. These women can only enter the prison with a laminated identity card, wearing light blue pants, a bra without a neckline, without a cell phone or clothing.
Once inside the prison, the mothers receive a talk and then see their children and family members in a kind of dining room, where they cannot touch them or have any kind of physical contact, only talk face to face for 30 minutes. If they break any of these rules, the visit is interrupted.
Induced starvation
Unlike preventive detention centers in the states, in the Tocuyito prison the Venezuelan State is in charge of providing food. In this regard, it was learned that they receive food only twice a day. In this case, they do not use a dining room since the trays are taken to each of the cells.
They say that the prepared food does not contain the necessary nutrients to maintain the body’s functions. They complain that they only eat white rice with “ground meat,” which most of the time is ground viscera and more than once these come “seasoned with worms.”
As for hydration, they mentioned that they drink water directly from the pipe, which is not fit for human consumption.
The poor nutrition that the detainees receive has caused them to lose considerable weight. It has been reported that young people have lost up to 25 kilos (about 55 lbs).
Political prisoners in Tocuyito do not have access to recreation. They are allowed to go out to a patio once a week for a very short time, where they get some sun and stretch their legs, while the rest of the time is spent locked in cells.
Procedural delays
Just as there is little information about visits, the judicial process is “a complete mystery” for the families of the detainees.
They point out that most of the detainees have only been to one or two hearings and there is no information about upcoming hearings, nor are they allowed private defense, which is why they are at the mercy of the Venezuelan State.
It is a distressing situation for these mothers, who demand that the violations of human rights cease and that the proper defense of their children be guaranteed.
Detained adolescents
In Lara State, there are six adolescents detained in the Pablo Herrera Campins Socio-Educational Center, better known as “El Manzano”. They are accused of having committed acts of vandalism and there are those who, according to testimonies from relatives, would have had incriminating evidence planted on them.
These six young people who are currently living under the arrest by Nicolás Maduro’s regime are athletes and students. Some should have enrolled in university and others should have advanced in their sports activities.
One of the most notorious cases is that of José David Crespo, who was arrested with his father in the city of Carora on July 30th.
Crespo would be in the third year of high school and is accused of having participated in the events that took place at the headquarters of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), says the mother of the teenager, who, due to her pregnancy, must move to the city of Barquisimeto.
The mother of José David Crespo has not had it easy, as her husband, who was the breadwinner of the household, was arrested along with their son without having been involved, since on the day of the events they were near the PSUV headquarters looking for money to make some building blocks.
The young people arrested in the Lara region are accused of terrorism, instigating hatred and damaging the nation.
The Penal Forum recently published that the number of people arrested in Venezuela for post-election political reasons reaches 1,936, including 68 teenagers between 14 and 17 years old.
Since July 29th, 2024, Maduro’s regime has arbitrarily detained 1,814 people.
