The Venezuelan regime confirmed on Tuesday the death of five inmates following a riot that took place on Monday at the Capital Region Penitentiary Center Yare III, a maximum-security facility located in the state of Miranda.
The Ministry of Popular Power for the Penitentiary Service issued a statement describing the incident as a fight among inmates that escalated into a riot.
The incident has prompted complaints from family members and organizations that question the official account and raise concerns about irregularities at the Yare II Capital Region Penitentiary, a facility deemed maximum security and designated for inmates classified as leaders of criminal gangs.
The authorities identified the deceased as Keivin Matamoros, Eliecer Córdova, Erkin Ramos, José Andrade, and Jean Carlos Jiménez.
The Public Ministry announced that it has opened an investigation "to determine the exact circumstances of what occurred," while the prison office stated that the situation has been brought under control.
However, relatives of the inmates reported a lack of clear information and accused Delcy Rodríguez's regime of providing incomplete or contradictory accounts of what happened, amid a prison system that has long been criticized for structural violence, overcrowding, and gang control within the prisons.
The riot reignites concerns about the prison crisis in Venezuela, where human rights organizations have documented precarious conditions and frequent clashes between inmates, often with fatal consequences.
Filed under: