World

Venezuelan inmates take to prison roof to protest shootings, abuse

By Reuters Reuters

Updated May 25, 2026 9:07 AM

Smoke and fire rise from burning mattresses as inmates gather on the rooftop of the Barinas Judicial Internment Center (Injuba) during a protest calling for the removal of the prison's director and against shootings, in Barinas, Venezuela, May 24, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Yonny Camacho — Smoke and fire rise from burning mattresses as inmates gather on the rooftop of the Barinas Judicial Internment Center (Injuba) during a protest calling for the removal of the prison's director and against shootings, in Barinas, Venezuela, May 24, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Yonny Camacho Yonny Camacho Reuters

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CARACAS - Prisoners in Venezuela's western Barinas prison staged a protest on the roof of the detention center on Sunday, piling flaming mattresses and calling for the removal of the prison's director, who they said had overseen guards as they shot unarmed prisoners.

"We want justice. They are shooting us, the guards and the wardens," a prisoner said in a video shared by the Venezuelan Prison Observatory, a local NGO, on X, in which a man is seen with a bullet wound in his chest.

Inmates said they were peacefully protesting when prison staff opened fire and left some wounded.

Venezuelan authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Prisoners called for removal of the recently appointed prison director Elvis Macuare Guerrero, in videos shared by the observatory. They said their clothes had been taken away, they had been banned from receiving visits and pressured to sell drugs.

Inmates' family members clashed outside with National Guard officers, armed with riot shields, as they unsuccessfully attempted to stop them entering. They told the NGO they heard screams and explosions minutes after they entered.

The NGO said it was documenting the events and reporting them to human rights watchdogs.

Venezuelan prisons face international scrutiny as the government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez passed a law to release hundreds of people considered political prisoners. In January, the U.S. attacked Caracas and captured then-President Nicolas Maduro.

(Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David Gregorio)

Members of Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard enter the Barinas Judicial Internment Center (Injuba), as relatives of inmates try to block their access, during a protest by inmates calling for the removal of the prison's director and against shootings, in Barinas, Venezuela, May 24, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Yonny Camacho — Members of Venezuela's Bolivarian National Guard enter the Barinas Judicial Internment Center (Injuba), as relatives of inmates try to block their access, during a protest by inmates calling for the removal of the prison's director and against shootings, in Barinas, Venezuela, May 24, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Yonny Camacho Yonny Camacho Reuters

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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 8:01 AM.