OVP denounced the death of an inmate in Uribana due to lack of medical attention

Last week, the death of Henry Pastor Cristancho Becerra, 53 years old, was registered. He was being held at the David Viloria Penitentiary Center, known as Uribana, located in Lara state. The Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons Press To this tragedy is added the absolute opacity of information by the prison authorities. It was learned, thanks to denunciations from internal prison sources, that the inmate had been experiencing health problems for days; however, the true clinical cause of his death is unknown to date due to official secrecy. As is unfortunately common practice, deaths in state custody are not investigated with due diligence, denying families their right to the truth and perpetuating a cycle of impunity. The death of this inmate reflects the serious humanitarian crisis plaguing the country's prisons. Relatives of inmates have told the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons (OVP) team that the conditions of detention in Uribana are inhumane and degrading. Currently, inmates survive daily on a diet based solely and exclusively on flours, without the intake of any type of protein, vitamins, or essential nutrients. This deficient diet has caused severe malnutrition and weight loss in a large part of the prison population. To this systematic starvation is added the total collapse of the right to health. Within the prison, timely medical attention is practically nonexistent; there are no general practitioners, let alone specialized personnel, nor basic supplies for diagnosing or treating illnesses. In Cristancho's case, the deterioration of his health was ignored in prison, and the lack of medical assistance became a death sentence that could have been avoided. It should be recalled that the Uribana prison has been under provisional measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), since February 2, 2007. A measure that has been ignored by the regime for 19 years. From OVP, we have repeatedly demanded that the Venezuelan State take the necessary actions to protect the life, health, and personal integrity of the inmates in this facility and we have received no response. Guaranteeing the lives of those in the custody of the state is not an option or a favor, but a constitutional and international obligation. As long as the regime continues to hide the reality and ignore these protection measures, prisons will continue to function as human warehouses where hunger, abandonment, and death prevail without responsible parties. Prensa Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones