Sexual violence, tobacco passages, spoiled food: Venezuela denounced on Monday the “tortures” inflicted on its nationals expelled by the United States to a prison for gang members in Salvador.
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After four months of incarceration at the Terrorism Confainment Center (CECOC), High Security Prison of Salvador, these 252 Venezuelans were repatriated Friday as part of an agreement between Washington and Caracas, who in exchange released 10 American citizens and residents detained in Venezuela.
“We decided to open an official investigation,” said Venezuelan prosecutor Tarek William Saab at a press conference given in Caracas on Monday.
The investigation aims at Salvado -ian President Nayib Bukele, and other members of his government, accused by Venezuela de crimes against humanity.
“I call the International Criminal Court, the UN Human Rights Council, the corresponding organizations both in America and around the world, to do the same, to do their part,” added the prosecutor.
According to Mr. Saab, 80 public officials interviewed migrants on their return to the country.
“Leaving hell”
Andry Hernández Romero, a 32 -year -old hairdresser and makeup who found himself in the CECOT, declares in one of these videos having suffered sexual violence.
“We have undergone torture, physical and psychological assaults,” he says. I was sexually abused by the Salvadoral authorities themselves. We thought we would never see our loved ones again. ”
His mother, Erika Palencia, had told AFP a little earlier than her son had told him about the assaults suffered by his compatriots and him.
“They got out of this hell,” she said, relieved.
The Venezuelan prosecutor also spoke of “isolation in inhuman cells […] Without contact with sunlight, without ventilation “and” systematic attacks “with rubber bullets.
Avaried food and non -potable water were served to prisoners, who at no time could speak to a lawyer or a family member.
Venezuela is itself the subject of an investigation for crimes against humanity conducted by the International Criminal Court.
The opposition to the Maduro government regularly denounces the torture perpetrated in Venezuelan prisons and the ban for prisoners to use a lawyer of their choice.
Negotiation
Repatriated migrants are the subject of medical examinations and have not yet found their family.
Mercedes Yamarte prepared a party to welcome his Mervin son in the Los Pescadores district, in Maracaibo.
Balloons, banners and food are ready, but she ignores when he arrives.
Mervin phoned him.
“It’s been four months and seven days since I heard the voice of my son, hearing it was a joy that I cannot describe,” Yamarte told AFP.
Invoking a law dating from 1798 on enemies from abroad rarely used, the United States expelled in March, without trial, these 252 Venezuelans, accused of belonging to the Tren of Aragua, a criminal gang that Washington describes as “terrorist organization”.
Their release of CECOT was the result of negotiations with the United States.
The agreement was finalized just a few hours before the effective exchange on Friday, according to the Venezuelan government.
“The negotiations were only with the United States, with the United States government,” said the negotiator and president of the Venezuelan parliament on Sunday, Jorge Rodriguez, to the official Telesur channel.
“It has never come to mind to speak to the clown,” he added, referring to the Salvadoral President, Nayib Bukele.
The latter “was the messenger of those who had organized the presence of Venezuelans in this concentration camp”.
The exchange included the release of 80 other Venezuelans detained in Venezuela, considered to be “political prisoners” by opponents of the government of Nicolas Maduro.
Mr. Rodriguez, however, assured that this measure coincided with a parallel internal negotiation process.
