Venezuelan inmates take to prison roof to protest shootings, abuse
Inmates at Barinas prison in Venezuela protested on the roof, demanding justice against alleged shootings and abuse by guards. They called for the removal of the prison director, claiming mistreatment and restrictions on their rights. The protest escalated as family members clashed with National Guard officers outside the facility.
- ▪Prisoners protested on the roof of Barinas prison, piling flaming mattresses.
- ▪They demanded the removal of the prison director, Elvis Macuare Guerrero, for overseeing guard violence.
- ▪Inmates reported being shot at by prison staff during a peaceful protest.
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Venezuelan inmates take to prison roof to protest shootings, abuseSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxPublished May 25, 2026, 07:13 AMUpdated May 25, 2026, 07:13 AMCARACAS, May 24 - Prisoners in Venezuela's western Barinas prison staged a protest on the roof of the detention center on Sunday, piling flaming mattresses and calling for the removal of the prison's director, who they said had overseen guards as they 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 Prison Observatory, a local NGO, on X, in which a man is seen with a bullet wound in his chest.Inmates said they were peacefully protesting when prison staff opened fire and left some wounded.Venezuelan authorities did…
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