Venezuelan was arrested and tortured for complaining about lack of gas

A teacher was arrested and tortured by the Bolivarian National Police, in the town of Tinaco, State of Cojedes, 245 kilometers southwest of Caracas, for protesting against the lack of gas in the country, the Venezuelan press advances this Wednesday.

The arrest took place on August 29, but it is only now known, after the woman, Denis Ávila, told the judge of a court “how she was beaten, burned with cigarettes and locked up in a dungeon full of excrement”, explains the El Pitazo.

“Denis Ávila was arrested after spending a week in a fuel line. A commission of police officials prevented him from pouring gasoline at a Tinaco service station. He was arrested, beaten and physically and psychologically abused before being presented before a court,” he explains. .

At the center of the discord was an alleged claim for the suspension of fuel supply to the population, while police officers maintained a parallel, preferential line, even for private vehicles, where it was allowed to refuel, although there was no correspondence between the last number of the registration and the day of the week established in the official gasoline access calendar.

“In an instant the people who complained were ambushed by police officials. There was never any intention to block the road or protest, they just wanted answers,” explains El Pitazo, saying that some people were beaten on the spot by alleged security officers.

Once in prison, police officials reportedly tried unsuccessfully to force the victim to be photographed in a setting in which domestic explosive devices, tires and bottles appeared. As she resisted, the teacher was thrown against a “glass” that broke, while the policemen shouted “here we send, you are under arrest”.

At the court hearing, the date of which was not revealed by the portal, the Public Prosecutor’s Office accused the teacher of the crimes of obstructing public roads, altering the order and insulting a public official.

Before reading the sentence, the judge gave the floor to Denis Ávila, who, in the courtroom, recounted in detail the mistreatment to which she was subjected after the arrest and showed the physical signs of burns on the buttocks, breasts and arms, and which were not on the police record.

The judge granted him complete freedom and ordered the Public Ministry to initiate an investigation into the torture carried out.

Despite waiting for justice for her case, the victim says she is afraid of possible reprisals by the police officers who were reported, since she went from being accused to being accusing.

In Venezuela, complaints from the population of difficulties in obtaining fuel have been increasingly frequent in Venezuela for several months.

On June 1, the Venezuelan Government set the price of fuel for the first time in US dollars, with subsidies for some basic sectors.

On October 10, several Venezuelan opposition deputies denounced an increased crackdown on security forces against the population, particularly in protests against fuel shortages.

According to the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflicts (OVCS), last September there were 1,193 protests in the country, the highest number registered in a month throughout 2020.

Also according to the OVCS, 90% of the protests were to condemn the collapse of basic services in the country, to claim labor rights, health and food, some of which started in complaints about the lack of fuel in the country.

In September, according to the OVCS, 74 demonstrations were suppressed, obstructed or prevented, in 19 of the country’s 24 states.

One person died, 233 were arrested and 52 injured in the protests.

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