Clashes as Venezuelan prisoners protest over alleged mistreatment

Clashes as Venezuelan prisoners protest over alleged mistreatment25 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleVanessa BuschschlüterLatin America editor, News OnlineBriceida Morales / AFP via Getty ImagesInmates took to the roof of the prison in protestViolent clashes have erupted between inmates and security personnel at a prison in the Venezuelan state of Barinas.Extra security forces were deployed to the jail after prisoners climbed the roof and burned mattresses in protest at their alleged mistreatment.Witnesses reported hearing explosions and inmates said they had been shot at.Organisations lobbying for prisoners' rights have long denounced the poor conditions at many of Venezuela's penitentiaries.Non-governmental organisation Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) said that the inmates at the jail, known as Injuba, had been complaining for more than a week about their treatment under the prison's new director.They allege they were violently searched, kept in solitary confinement and mistreated. The prison director has so far not publicly commented, nor has the government of interim President Delcy Rodríguez.In footage published by OVP, groups of inmates can be seen protesting on the roof, with some burning mattresses.In one video, a man can be seen showing wounds on his torso and his arm, with another man shouting "they're shooting at us".Others can be heard joining into chants of "we want justice".In another recording shared by OVP, a woman wearing dark glasses and a face mask addresses Rodríguez directly and demands that the minister of prisons and Injuba's director resign. She insists that their protest is peaceful before stating their demands, which include medicine for prisoners who have tuberculosis.OVP has long drawn attention to the poor conditions in Venezuelan jails, with the organisation warning that many do not meet the "minimum standards" which should be guaranteed by law. Since the United Sta...