Political prisoners at risk. Roberto Marrero, former head of the interim President Juan Guaidó’s office, is a chronic asthmatic. He spends his days in an isolated four square meters cell, a method of psychological torture according to the United Nations.

The leader of Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party is deprived of liberty at the headquarters of the Bolivarian Service of National Intelligence (SEBIN) in El Helicoide, under unsanitary conditions and without continuous water supply, denounced the defender Joel García.

The lawyer warns the lack of water puts Marrero and the political prisoners in this detention center at risk of COVID-19 infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that one of the most effective prevention measures is to wash your hands frequently and with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or with soap and water to kill the virus.

“Marrero is isolated in a humid four square meters cell without any ventilation, undoubtedly affecting him. Experts say he should be exposed to the sun. We went to the Court of Appeals and filed for protection because the court handling the case, the third on terrorism matters, has no judge assigned, ”explained the lawyer.

The non-governmental organization Foro Penal (Criminal Justice Forum) estimates there are 320 political prisoners in the country as of March 9, 2020. Ramo Verde and El Helicoide are the prisons with the highest number of political prisoners.

Requesens suffers from a respiratory infection

Member of Parliament Juan Requesens is also under detention in El Helicoide. Doctors from the SEBIN diagnosed him with a respiratory infection and recommended his transfer to the headquarters of the political police in Plaza Venezuela, a measure that has not been materialized.

García affirmed that he requested a substitute precautionary measure on March 13, before the first court with jurisdiction in crimes related to terrorism, a day after the announcement of the state of national alarm due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We brought to attention that he is an MP and must be under proper custody, but Judge Hennit Carolina López has not ruled on it,” he said.

The measure is based on Article 43 of the Constitution that protects the right to life and 242 of the Organic Code of Criminal Procedure that establishes substitute precautionary measures for detention.

Other political prisoners are in detention at the headquarters of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), in Boleíta Norte, Caracas. This facility also lacks water service.

The lawyer stated that family members even have to provide the water the political prisoners use for bathing and that officers only allow personal hygiene twice a week.

Suspension of visits

Lawyer Ana Leonor Acosta, the defender of MP Renzo Prieto, affirms that the only known special measure taken in detention centers in the face of the pandemic is the suspension of visits.

This prohibition worries the relatives of political and common prisoners because it prevents them from bringing them food, water, and personal hygiene supplies that are not provided by the Venezuelan State.

Acosta assured that on March 18 they tried to bring food and protective masks to Renzo Prieto, but the police prevented them from getting to Chacao, due to the movement restrictions adopted amid the state of alarm in the country.

“The relatives are very nervous about the situation. At the DGCIM in Boleíta, there is no drinking water. The officials said they were going to provide food, but we do not know if it is true. There is no water service in El Helicoide. We fear there are not enough measures to serve them all,” she warned.

The lawyer indicated that different non-governmental organizations raised a request for humanitarian measures in favor of political prisoners before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Organization of American States, and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Probable case

The member of the National Assembly, Delsa Solórzano, warned in her Twitter account that the parliamentarian Tony Geara, detained by Sebin officials on March 14, is a probable case of COVID-19, as he shows many symptoms related to the disease and has not been examined.

The president in charge of Venezuela and the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, announced that he will request support from the International Red Cross to protect the political prisoners in these circumstances.