'I thought I was going to die': Jailed Venezuelan activist details brutality of prison life

"They person already tortured maine and repressed me, but they volition not soundlessness me. My dependable is the lone happening I person left."

This is however Juan, a young antheral aged astir 20, begins his story. He alleges helium was physically and psychologically tortured by Venezuelan information forces aft being detained successful transportation with the statesmanlike elections connected 28 July.

He was 1 of galore hundreds of radical arrested during protests aft the electoral authorities - which are dominated by authorities loyalists - announced that the incumbent, Nicolás Maduro, had won.

The National Electoral Council (CNE) did not marque the voting tallies nationalist and the Venezuelan absorption has described the authoritative effect arsenic fraudulent, pointing retired that the voting tallies it got clasp of with the assistance of predetermination observers suggest an overwhelming triumph for its candidate, Edmundo González.

Juan was released from situation successful mid-November, days aft Maduro called connected judicial authorities to "rectify" immoderate injustices successful the arrests.

The BBC spoke to him via video call. For his ain safety, we person decided to withhold immoderate of the details of his lawsuit and person changed his name.

The young antheral alleges that galore of the detainees are mistreated, fixed "rotten food" and that the astir rebellious are locked up successful "torture chambers".

He showed the BBC documents and grounds that corroborate his story, which coincides with different grounds and with the complaints of non-governmental organisations.

Juan, an anti-government governmental activist, says the predetermination run and the days starring up to the predetermination were "marked by hope" and galore radical were keen to ballot for change.

But the announcement of Maduro's triumph soon aft midnight that Sunday turned what for galore was a celebratory temper into disorder and anger.

Thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets to protestation against a effect they decried arsenic fraudulent.

The absorption and planetary organisations accidental what followed was constabulary repression which caused the deaths of much than 20 protesters.

Maduro and immoderate of his officials successful crook person blamed the opposition, the "extreme right" and "terrorist" groups for the deaths.

Gonzalo Himiob of Venezuelan non-governmental organisation Foro Penal says radical were arrested for arsenic small arsenic "celebrating the opposition's declaration of Edmundo González arsenic the winner, oregon for posting thing connected societal media".

"We besides person cases of radical who were not adjacent protesting, but for immoderate crushed they were adjacent a protestation and they were arrested," helium added.

Juan says that is what happened to him.

The young governmental activistic says helium had been moving an errand erstwhile a radical of hooded men intercepted him, covered his look and bushed him, accusing him of being a terrorist.

"They planted Molotov cocktails and petrol connected me, and past took maine to a detention centre," helium continued.

He was held successful a situation successful the interior of Venezuela for respective weeks until helium was transferred to Tocorón, a notorious high-security situation astir 140km south-west of the capital, Caracas.

There helium would spell done what helium describes arsenic the worst acquisition of his life.

"When we arrived astatine Tocorón, they stripped us, bushed us, and insulted us. We were forbidden to rise our heads and look astatine the guards; we had to little our heads to the floor," Juan recounts.

Juan was assigned a tiny compartment measuring 3 metres by 3 metres, which helium had to stock with 5 different people.

There were six beds arranged successful 3 bunk beds, and successful 1 country determination was a septic vessel and "a tube that served arsenic a shower". That was the bathroom.

"In Tocorón I felt much similar I was successful a attraction campy than successful a prison," says the young man. He describes the beds arsenic "concrete tombs" with a precise bladed mattress.

"They tortured america physically and psychologically. They wouldn't fto america sleep, they were ever coming to inquire america to get up and enactment up," helium explains.

"They would aftermath america up astir 05:00 to enactment up down the cell. The guards would inquire america to amusement our passes and numbers."

He adds that astatine astir 06:00 they would crook connected the h2o for six minutes truthful they could bathe.

"Six minutes for six radical and conscionable 1 shower, with precise acold water. If you were the past 1 determination and you didn't person clip to instrumentality disconnected the soap, you were near covered successful soap for the remainder of the day," helium says.

Then, helium adds, they waited for breakfast, which sometimes arrived astatine 06:00 and different times astatine 12:00.

Dinner was sometimes astatine 21:00, and sometimes astatine 02:00.

"Apart from waiting for meals, determination was thing other to do. We could lone locomotion astir wrong the tiny compartment and archer stories. We besides talked astir politics, but successful debased voices, due to the fact that if the guards heard us, they would punish us."

Juan says that galore of his chap inmates were depressed and acted similar zombies.

"They gave america rotten nutrient – nutrient scraps similar you would springiness to chickens oregon dogs oregon sardines that had already expired."

Some detainees were routinely beaten oregon made to "walk similar frogs" with their hands connected their ankles, helium says.

He describes "punishment cells" wherever those considered the astir rebellious would beryllium sent, oregon those who dared to speech astir authorities oregon inquire to marque a telephone telephone to relatives.

Juan says that helium had been successful 1 of the punishment cells successful Tocorón, and that helium had lone received 1 repast each 2 days.

"It's a precise acheronian cell, 1 metre by 1 metre. I was precise hungry. What kept maine going was reasoning astir each the injustices that were happening and that 1 time I would get retired of there," helium says.

Another torture compartment is known arsenic "Adolfo's bed", Juan says, named aft the archetypal idiosyncratic who died there.

"It's a dark, oxygen-deprived country the size of a vault. They enactment you successful determination for a fewer minutes until you can't respire and you faint oregon commencement banging connected the doorway successful desperation. They enactment maine successful determination and I lasted conscionable implicit 5 minutes. I thought I was going to die," helium recalls.

The young antheral says that successful this prison, inmates person 10 minutes to workout extracurricular 3 times a week, but galore conscionable enactment successful their cells.

Foro Penal's Gonzalo Himiob describes the conditions successful Tocorón arsenic "deplorable" and says that detainees' cardinal rights, specified arsenic having entree to a lawyer of the detainee's choosing, are being violated.

"They each person nationalist defenders - the authorities knows that if it allows entree to a backstage lawyer who is not a nationalist official, helium oregon she tin papers each the owed process violations that are occurring."

In October, United Nations (UN) experts reported superior quality rights violations committed successful the run-up to the statesmanlike predetermination and during the protests that followed, including governmental persecution, excessive usage of force, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions by authorities information forces and related civilian groups.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is presently investigating the Venezuelan authorities for imaginable crimes against humanity.

The Venezuelan authorities denies the accusations and says this probe "responds to the volition of instrumentalising the mechanisms of planetary transgression justness for governmental purposes".

The BBC requested an interrogation with the Public Prosecutor's Office astir the allegations of mistreatment and torture of detainees, but had not received a effect by the clip of publication.

Juan was released successful November, but according to Foro Penal's figures, determination were inactive 1,794 governmental prisoners successful Venezuela arsenic of 30 December.

According to Juan, galore of those detained successful Tocorón person pinned their hopes connected 1 date: that of the statesmanlike inauguration connected 10 January 2025.

It is the time that absorption campaigner Edmundo González, who has been surviving successful exile successful Spain, has said that helium volition instrumentality to Venezuela and instrumentality up bureau arsenic president.

He bases his assertion to the presidency connected authoritative voting tallies the absorption managed to stitchery with assistance of predetermination observers.

These tallies, which magnitude to 85% of the total, person been uploaded to a website and reviewed by autarkic observers who accidental that they suggest an overwhelming triumph for González.

On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden met González and called him the "true winner" of the Venezuelan election.

However, it is not wide however González, for whom the authorities person issued an apprehension warrant, plans to participate Venezuela oregon who would curse him successful fixed that the National Assembly is dominated by Maduro loyalists.

Nevertheless, Juan says that the prisoners held successful Tocorón are hoping against anticipation that Friday volition spot a alteration of authorities and their merchandise from jail.

Meanwhile, the Maduro authorities has labelled immoderate speech of a governmental modulation arsenic "a conspiracy" and has threatened that anyone who backs a alteration of person "will wage for it".

Juan admits feeling a definite consciousness of guilt for being escaped erstwhile hundreds of his "comrades are inactive suffering" successful prison.

But helium says helium is determined to instrumentality to the streets to amusement his enactment for Edmundo González connected 10 January.

"I nary longer fearfulness the Venezuelan government," helium explains.

"They already accused maine of the worst crimes, specified arsenic terrorism, adjacent though I'm conscionable a young antheral who has done thing much than emotion his state and assistance those astir him."

"I'm not afraid," Juan repeats, earlier admitting that helium has near immoderate written grounds successful a harmless spot "in lawsuit thing happens to me".

Illustrations by Daniel Arce-Lopez.