Venezuelan prisons still marked by overcrowding, violence, lack of care, rights group says

On Nelson Mandela International Day, the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons (OVP) has once again highlighted the dire conditions plagting Venezuela's penitentiary system. The organization denounced that the system remains characterized by severe overcrowding, judicial delays, inadequate medical attention, pervasive violence, and deaths in custody. These issues, the OVP stated, are in direct violation of human rights standards and the "Mandela Rules."

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The Venezuelan penitentiary reality continues to be marked by overcrowding, procedural delays, lack of medical attention, violence, deaths under custody, and prolonged stays in police cells, practices incompatible with the Mandela Rules and international human rights standards.

The OVP issued a statement on social media platform X, detailing the persistent problems within Venezuelan prisons. These include overcrowding, prolonged pre-trial detention, a lack of essential medical care, violence among inmates, deaths occurring while individuals are under state care, and individuals remaining confined in police cells for extended periods. The organization stressed that these practices are incompatible with the United Nations' Nelson Mandela Rules and international human rights norms.

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No conviction implies the loss of dignity or fundamental rights.

Established by the UN General Assembly, Nelson Mandela International Day recognizes the legacy of the former South African president, who spent 27 years in prison before becoming a global symbol of dignity, equality, and justice. In 2015, the UN unanimously adopted the revised "Nelson Mandela Rules," the primary international standard for protecting the rights of individuals deprived of their liberty. The OVP views this day as a "Day of Detained Persons," asserting that no conviction should result in the loss of fundamental rights or human dignity.

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The Venezuelan regime continues to fail to comply with the minimum standards they establish.

The OVP insisted that all individuals in state custody must be treated with humanity and respect, regardless of their legal status. The NGO pointed out that nearly eleven years after the adoption of the Nelson Mandela Rules, the Venezuelan regime continues to disregard these minimum standards. The OVP attributes the ongoing crisis not to the existence of these rules, but to a lack of political will from the government to implement them and ensure conditions of detention that are compatible with human dignity. The organization reiterated its commitment to defending the human rights of the incarcerated population and called on the government to bring the penitentiary system into line with international standards, concluding that "the way a society treats those it holds in custody reflects its true commitment to human dignity."

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The way a society treats those it holds in custody reflects its true commitment to human dignity.