15 political prisoners detained for their alleged connection to the so-called Operation Gedeón began a hunger strike six days ago to demand respect for their fundamental rights and to denounce the failure to fulfill promises regarding possible releases.
Through a phone contact made this Monday, August 10, Efecto Cocuyo verified the information with a relative of one of the detainees, who confirmed the start of the protest after reports were circulated on social media on Sunday night.
"Yes, that's correct; they have been on hunger strike for a week tomorrow. There are approximately 15 of them on hunger strike demanding their rights," the source, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, stated.
For his part, Gonzalo Himiob, vice president director of the NGO Foro Penal, also confirmed the situation through a phone contact. "We understand that several of those imprisoned in the Gedeón case have started a hunger strike. We are assessing the situation and supporting their protest and assisting their families," he said.
According to testimonies, the inmates are demanding that the Minister for the Penitentiary Service, Julio García Zerpa, has not fulfilled previously agreed commitments.
So far, the exact health status of the protesters is unknown. However, the director of the Center for the Reclusion of Military Processed (Cenapromil), located in Fuerte Guaicaipuro, Miranda state, notified the authorities...
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15 political prisoners detained for their alleged involvement in the so-called Gedeón Operation began a hunger strike six days ago to demand respect for their fundamental rights and to denounce the failure to fulfill promises regarding possible releases.
Through a phone contact made on Monday, August 10, Efecto Cocuyo verified the information with a relative of one of the detainees, who confirmed the start of the protest after reports circulated on social media on Sunday night.
"Yes, that's correct; they have been on strike for a week tomorrow. There are approximately 15 of them on hunger strike demanding their rights," the source, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals, stated.
For his part, Gonzalo Himiob, vice president director of the NGO Foro Penal, also confirmed the situation through a phone contact. "We understand that several of those imprisoned for the Gedeón case have started a hunger strike. We are assessing the situation and supporting their protest and assisting their families," he said.
According to testimonies, the inmates are demanding that the Minister for the Penitentiary Service, Julio García Zerpa, has not fulfilled previously agreed commitments.
So far, the exact health status of the protesters is unknown. However, the director of the Military Processing Center for Detainees (Cenapromil), located at Fuerte Guaicaipuro, Miranda state, informed relatives that the inmates are being given serum for hydration.
The names of those participating in the protest are currently unknown.
Reported irregularities
Family members shared with this medium a document drafted by the detainees themselves, detailing the reasons for the hunger strike:
🔴 Lack of review of their files and systematic violations of due process.
🔴 Physical and psychological coercion to force them to admit the alleged facts.
🔴 Physical assaults suffered during presentation hearings.
🔴 Application of "selective justice," lack of response to appeals filed by the defense, and poor detention conditions.