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Venezuela to Investigate Torture Claims in El Salvadoran Prison

  • Human Rights Research Center
  • 1 day ago
  • 3 min read

July 24, 2025


Trigger Warning: The following news brief includes content surrounding torture.


HRRC strongly condemns the torture of prisoners, which is prohibited by international law, and denounces U.S. President Trump’s deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador.

Prison guards escort alleged Venezuelan gang members, deported from the United States, to the Center for Terrorism Confinement in El Salvador. [Image credit: AP/El Salvador presidential press office]
Prison guards escort alleged Venezuelan gang members, deported from the United States, to the Center for Terrorism Confinement in El Salvador. [Image credit: AP/El Salvador presidential press office]

On Monday, Venezuela announced an investigation into claims made by former prisoners that they suffered human rights abuses at the notorious El Salvadoran prison, the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT).


Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced that the investigation would examine the role of El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and two top officials for the alleged torture of the prisoners, who were imprisoned in El Salvador after being deported from the United States. As part of a prisoner swap between El Salvador and Venezuela, 252 former detainees arrived near the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Friday, in exchange for 10 U.S. nationals held in Venezuela.


The prisoners were deported to El Salvador from the United States in March on the orders of President Trump, who had invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 as a way to target alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang. The decision was highly controversial for several reasons, one being the lack of any convincing evidence tying the men to the gang.


According to Saab, who interviewed the former prisoners upon their arrival in Venezuela, many of them had suffered “systematic torture” during their time at CECOT. The men said they were beaten, sexually abused, and denied medical care or forced to endure treatment without anesthesia. Some described inhumane conditions, such as being kept in cells without sunlight or ventilation and forced to consume rotten food and unclean water. They were also denied access to lawyers or relatives.


Among the prisoners interviewed by Saab was Andry Hernandez Romero, a 32-year-old beautician who described the abuse he faced in CECOT. He said, "We were going through torture, physical aggressions, psychological aggressions. I was sexually abused." U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers had linked Romero to Tren de Aragua solely based on his two small crown tattoos (the Department of Homeland Security had previously advised that some gang members have tattoos of crowns).


International law prohibits torture, including the torture of prisoners. It should be noted that Venezuela itself has recently faced allegations of prisoner mistreatment and torture, including accusations that prisoners were kept in inhumane conditions and denied food, water, and medical care. Ultimately, this could well be a case of the pot calling the kettle black.


Glossary


  • Allegation: a claim or assertion that someone has done something wrong or illegal, usually without proof yet.

  • Alleged: claimed to be true or to have happened, but not yet proven.

  • Alien Enemies Act of 1798: a U.S. federal law allowing the government to detain or deport citizens of countries with which the U.S. is at war.

  • Anesthesia: medication used to prevent pain during surgery or medical procedures by causing loss of feeling or consciousness.

  • Attorney General: the chief legal officer of a country or state, responsible for enforcing the law and overseeing legal matters.

  • Beautician: a person trained to style hair, give beauty treatments, or perform cosmetic services.

  • CECOT (Center for the Confinement of Terrorism): a high-security prison in El Salvador used to detain alleged gang members and terrorists.

  • Condemns: strongly criticizes or expresses complete disapproval, especially on moral grounds.

  • Controversial: causing public disagreement or debate.

  • Customs and Border Protection (CBP): a U.S. federal agency responsible for securing borders and regulating international travel and trade.

  • Denounces: publicly declares something to be wrong or evil.

  • Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — A U.S. federal department responsible for public security, including immigration and counterterrorism.

  • Deportation: the act of forcibly removing a person from a country, usually because they violated immigration laws.

  • Detainee: a person held in custody, often for legal or political reasons, without necessarily having been convicted of a crime.

  • Human Rights Abuses: actions that violate the basic rights and freedoms entitled to all human beings.

  • Inhumane: cruel or lacking compassion for suffering people.

  • International Law: a body of laws governing relations between countries and the rights of individuals on an international scale.

  • Invoked: called upon a law, rule, or authority for support or justification.

  • Pot Calling the Kettle Black: an expression meaning someone is criticizing another for a fault they also possess.

  • Prisoner Swap: an agreement between two parties or governments to exchange detainees or prisoners.

  • Psychological Aggression: hostile actions intended to cause emotional or mental harm.

  • Systematic Torture: the organized, repeated use of torture methods, often carried out by authorities.

  • Tren de Aragua: a Venezuelan criminal gang known for its involvement in organized crime and violence.

  • Torture: the act of deliberately inflicting severe physical or psychological pain on someone, often for punishment or interrogation.

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