15 Her brother José León was incarcerated in the Detention Center of Catia with her other brother, José Ángel Gualdrón, both charged with theft. She went to visit them every week with their mother and Calixta, another sister. The witness pointed out that the visit to the prison “was dreadful.” In the prison there were worms even at the entrance, there was garbage outside and the bathrooms were very dirty. The women were searched, they touched their breasts and they were made to undress, and bend down while naked. The inmates received visits in the cellblock, where there was a bathroom, “but it was scary.” They ate in the same cellblock. Their family used to take them cooked or uncooked food; they also took them some money for them to buy things in the prison. They got to know what had happened in the prison on Saturday November 28, 1992 because a photograph of their brother appeared in the newspaper. Immediately after, his brother Tiburcio, Calixta and the witness traveled to the prison to see their brothers, but José Ángel had already been taken away from there. After that they visited hospitals; first the one of Magallanes of Catia, then the morgue in Bella Vista and after that, Los Teques. His brother Tiburcio went into the place where the corpses were kept and tried to identify José León, but he did not find him. Tiburcio “was feeling sick when he went out,” as the bodies were “lying on the floor.” Finally, they went to Victorio Santaella and there, as well as in the morgue of Los Teques, they were told that he had been buried. Assisted by COFAVIC, in the year 2005 they went back to the morgue of Los Teques and this time they were able to identify their brother. Their brother had been shot in the leg, and he was alive when they took him away from the prison, they had thrown him onto a van where they were supposed to take him to be assisted. Up to the moment, the authorities have not given them the corpse. His mother has been deeply affected by the events. The witness still suffers on account of what has happened and regrets not to have a place where to carry a candle or a bunch of flowers. d) Statement of María Auxiliadora Zerpa de Moreno, sister of Benjamín Eduardo Rodriguez Her brother Benjamín was 20 years old when he died during the events that took place on November 27, 1992, in Catia Prison. Benjamín was imprisoned for two years in that penitentiary, though there was never certainty about the reason of his detention. In order to visit him, they had to stand in a line since dawn and then go through the search, which was really awful, they went into a small room where a woman ordered them to undress, bend and push. Benjamín was in cellblock number 2. There were many inmates there, about fifteen people in a very small room. The only bathroom was inside the cell. Her brother was beaten up several times during his detention; he was also shot “pellets” and the wound developed an infection as his next of kin were not allowed to take him medicines. There were no doctors or anything of the sort there. Benjamín also suffered from an intestinal infection during his detention and did not receive medical assistance. He got to know through some neighbors that his brother was dead. The inmates that survived, as they already knew who they were, started shouting to them “look for him in the morgue.”

Select target paragraph3

Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents