In front of El Helicoide, the main torture center of the Chavista regime, in Caracas, dozens of relatives of political prisoners and Venezuelan activists held a day of protest and prayer to demand the immediate freedom of all those detained for political reasons.
The call was extended both in the Venezuelan capital and in other cities, where similar events were replicated to accompany those who wait for a reunion with their loved ones.
The claim intensified in the last few hours, driven by relatives who, together with human rights defenders and representatives of civil society, gathered in the vicinity of El Helicoide, managed by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN).
“The relatives of the political prisoners managed to reach the doors of ElHelicoide to demand what the regime denies: immediate freedom and the closure of the torture center. Dignity defeated fear,” said the Command with Venezuela, on its social networks.
Meanwhile, the NGO Realidad Helicoide maintains that the relatives of political prisoners “move forward in the face of the impediment of police officials”: “They are all innocent, none of them are criminals.”
Pressure persists in the surrounding area, as protesters await news about possible releases.
The protest was marked by slogans that demanded total and unconditional release, such as “Freedom, freedom, it has to be everyone” and “We are not afraid.”
Attendees carried banners, flags and photographs of their loved ones to make the urgency of the claim visible.
Cardinal Baltazar Porras supported the activity and called for a special day of prayer and solidarity, inviting Venezuelans to gather in front of the detention centers to accompany the victims and offer material support, such as food and medicine, between 10:00 and 12:00.
“Let us find a way to meet in each city or town where we are, in those places where those awaiting liberation are in permanent vigil,” the cardinal urged in a message transmitted by video.
The demand was amplified in a context marked by the discussion of an amnesty bill in the National Assembly of Venezuela.Relatives mobilized towards the Parliament and the Palace of Justice in Caracas to demand their inclusion in public consultations and demand the total release of those detained under political charges.
The rally in front of the Palace of Justice was accompanied by a security operation with military and police presence.
According to the Venezuelan organization Provea, in the first ten years of former dictator Nicolás Maduro’s administration at least 1,652 people have been victims of torture and another 7,309 have suffered cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, mainly in the custody of the SEBIN and the Bolivarian National Police (PNB).
They also denounced that many of these cases occur in centers such as ElHelicoide, designated by relatives and activists as a place of arbitrary detention and torture.
The president of the Chavista National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, referred yesterday to the amnesty bill approved in the first discussion and requested that the family members be heard during the public consultations.
Rodríguez met with relatives in one of the detention centers and promised that the release would take place within a maximum period of one week.“At the latest on Friday they are all free,” said the deputy in front of the headquarters of the dungeons known as zone 7.
In addition, he asked parliamentarians to dialogue with the victims to collect their proposals and stressed the need to “apologize and rectify” in relation to arrests linked to the repression of protests.
