At least 49 inmates died in Venezuela between April and July 2026, OVP reports

At least 49 inmates died in Venezuelan prisons and police cells between April and July 2026, according to a count by the non-governmental organization Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons (OVP). The OVP stated that the state "failed in its most basic obligation: to protect the lives of those it holds in custody."

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failed in its most basic obligation: to protect the lives of those it holds in custody.

Of the total deceased, 48 were men and one was a woman. The OVP specified that 47 died in penitentiary establishments and two in police lockups. "Behind each figure is a different story, but all converge on the same reality: people who depended absolutely on the state to access a doctor, receive medication, undergo tests, or be transferred promptly to a health center," the organization emphasized.

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Behind each figure is a different story, but all converge on the same reality: people who depended absolutely on the state to access a doctor, receive medication, undergo tests, or be transferred promptly to a health center.

The deceased "suffered from preventable or treatable diseases, including tuberculosis, severe dehydration, acute diarrhea, and other pathologies that would hardly have ended their lives if they had received adequate medical attention," the OVP indicated. "When a person dies from lack of medical attention, the state cannot limit itself to registering their death: it is obliged to explain why it happened, who failed to act, and what measures it will take to prevent these events from continuing to repeat themselves."

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suffered from preventable or treatable diseases, including tuberculosis, severe dehydration, acute diarrhea, and other pathologies that would hardly have ended their lives if they had received adequate medical attention.

The organization urged the Prosecutor's Office to initiate a "transparent, exhaustive, and impartial" investigation into each death to determine the responsibilities that "correspond." It demanded the immediate intervention of the Ministry for Penitentiary Service and the promotion of humanitarian attention for health reasons for prisoners in all penitentiary establishments and detention centers in the country.

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When a person dies from lack of medical attention, the state cannot limit itself to registering their death: it is obliged to explain why it happened, who failed to act, and what measures it will take to prevent these events from continuing to repeat themselves.