Inmates at Barinas prison in western Venezuela staged a protest on the facility's roof on Sunday, setting fire to mattresses and demanding the removal of the prison director, whom they accused of overseeing guards who shot unarmed prisoners.
“We want justice. They are shooting us, the guards and the wardens,” a prisoner said in a video shared by the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons, a local NGO, on X. The video showed a man with a bullet wound to his chest. Inmates said they were peacefully protesting when prison staff opened fire, leaving some wounded.
Large columns of smoke rose from the prison, about 500km from Caracas, as inmates gathered on the roof chanting “No more torture!” and hanging “SOS” banners. Prisoners called for the removal of the director, claiming their clothes had been taken and visits banned.
Outside the prison, family members clashed with National Guard officers armed with riot shields as they attempted to enter. Yelitza Arrollo told AFP she had not heard from her son since 8 May. “They are suffering,” she said. “We want the director removed.”
The Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons said it was documenting the events and reporting them to human rights watchdogs. It stated that about 1,200 men and more than 100 women had joined the strike. Venezuelan authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
