Hundreds of people detained during the post-election anti-opposition repression and who were later transferred to the Tocuyito Judicial Internment Center in Carabobo State, are locked in their cells 24 hours a day, without access to sports activities or sunlight. These conditions of confinement, reported by relatives to the Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP), have generated anxiety, panic attacks and other mental health problems in the detainees.
According to relatives, the detainees are only taken out of their cells during the weekly visit, which lasts approximately 35 minutes. However, after a public complaint by the NGO OVP, relatives were allowed to say goodbye with a hug, although some cannot attend regularly due to the economic difficulties involved in traveling from one state to another.
During the last visit, mothers, wives and sisters expressed their concern after learning that some detainees have suffered episodes of anxiety, stress and fainting. According to the testimonies of the inmates and prison officials, some of them were allegedly given the drug Diazepam to “calm them down,” although the relatives indicate that they see them sedated and not in optimal condition.
The relatives also reported that, upon arriving for the visit, some mothers were informed that they would not be able to see their loved ones because they were in the infirmary. The only explanation they received was that the detainees had suffered panic attacks and were being treated. However, they did not get any details about what was really happening or about the physical condition of the inmates, leaving the families in uncertainty about the veracity of this situation and the real condition of their relatives.
But what is Diazepam? It is a drug that is mainly used as an anxiolytic, muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant, according to a doctor consulted by the OVP team. Its administration requires a prescription and medical supervision due to its effects, side effects and possible health risks.
“A person who is going to be given Diazepam must undergo a series of medical evaluations, laboratory tests, physical and even psychological evaluation, to determine if the person is suitable for the consumption of this drug,” said the doctor. According to the complaints filed by the relatives before the OVP, there is no evidence that the people to whom Diazepam is administered have undergone an exhaustive medical evaluation.
“A prison official told us how the boys get desperate in there, they faint and what they do is put them to sleep, he even told us to report it to the Ministry for Penitentiary Service because this was not right. We are afraid of what could happen to them, we are afraid that this medication could kill them or that they themselves could attempt to take their own lives,” said one of the mothers.
Furthermore, the doctor consulted by OVP indicated that the indiscriminate use of Diazepam can cause dependency, as well as cause serious damage to the central nervous system. “This medication is contraindicated for people who are allergic to benzodiazepines, with serious respiratory problems, with liver failure and with a history of drug use. Also for people with severe depression, since their symptoms can worsen,” explained the doctor.
On the other hand, he recommended that detainees who are experiencing fainting spells, or what they consider panic attacks, be immediately transferred to a healthcare center, to be evaluated by specialists.
From the OVP we urge the relatives to request a forensic medical evaluation to clarify whether the supply of medications is an adequate prescription. Furthermore, it is important to reiterate that the rights of persons deprived of liberty in Tocuyito prison are constantly violated as of education, sports, recreation and even access to sunlight, which can cause serious consequences for their health.
These rights are enshrined in article 46 of the Constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, whose paragraph 1 establishes that “no person may be subjected to punishment, torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”; and paragraph 2 provides that “no person shall be subjected without their free consent to scientific experiments, or to medical or laboratory tests, except when their life is in danger or due to other circumstances determined by law.”
Let us remember that Venezuela is a signatory to international treaties and legal instruments that are binding and also protect these rights, so the current situation represents a systematic violation of these laws and treaties by the Venezuelan State.