Venezuela’s Rodeo I prison faces calls for independent safety assessment

The Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners (Clippve) urged the Venezuelan authorities on 18 July to carry out an independent technical evaluation of the infrastructure at the Rodeo I prison in Miranda state. The demand follows two strong earthquakes on 24 June, measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, which raised concerns that the prison’s cells may be unsafe in future tremors.

Clippve and families of detainees warned that prison staff, including the Immediate Response Group of Custodians (GRIC), could resort to violent actions to keep political prisoners confined in unverified cells. They said authorities have not established preventive protocols, evacuation measures, or allowed independent national or international observers to inspect the facility. The committee blamed interim executive minister Delcy Rodríguez for the lack of protective action and criticized the penitentiary minister’s dismissal of the allegations.

The organization called for immediate protection of all political prisoners, a transparent structural assessment, and the admission of independent monitoring bodies to verify conditions and prevent further abuse.