Smoke and fire rise from burning mattresses as inmates gather on the rooftop of the Barinas Judicial Internment Center (Injuba) during a protest calling for the removal of the prison’s director and against shootings, in Barinas, Venezuela.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
An uprising by prisoners alleging torture continued on Monday (May 25, 2026) at a Venezuelan penitentiary, despite the firing of the Prison Director Elvis Macuare Guerrero accused of ordering the abuse.
Also read | Venezuela to release 300 prisoners under amnesty law
Hundreds of inmates chanting “no more torture” took control of Barinas Judicial Detention Center, a center for common-law prisoners, in western Venezuela on Sunday (May 24, 2026).
They also burned mattresses and sheets.
On Monday (May 25, 2026), a group of prisoners remained huddled on the roof as mediators attempted to talk them down.
Dozens of inmates were bused out to other facilities, including over 100 women, according to the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP), a human rights NGO.
Maria Eugenia Duran (48), the wife of a man who has spent four years behind bars, said the prisoners rebelled after being “tortured and beaten.”
Several prisoner transfer buses left the facility on Monday (May 25, 2026).
Dozens of relatives gathered near the prison to demand transparency on where their relatives were being taken and for their humane treatment.
A military commander at the site told the family members that prisoners volunteered either to be taken to other prisons or to stay.
Mr. Guerrero, who was only in the job for a week, was dismissed over the unrest, an official confirmed to AFP.
The OVP said that, despite his short term, he implemented a regime of terror, including beatings, torture, and “violent searches,” during which prisoners’ belongings were destroyed in their cells.
For years, activists have criticized overcrowding, limited food, and a lack of medical care in Venezuelan prisons, alongside what they allege are systematic human rights violations.
In April, the Government confirmed the deaths of five people during a riot at the high-security Yare III prison near Caracas.
Venezuela has released hundreds of political detainees since US forces captured autocratic leader Nicolas Maduro in a stunning raid on the capital Caracas on January 3, 2026.
The landmark amnesty law, which was adopted in February, is one of the most significant reforms passed by Mr. Maduro’s interim successor, Delcy Rodriguez, under pressure from Washington.
Some Venezuelans have, however, expressed frustration at the pace of the releases.
Published – May 26, 2026 11:44 am IST
