In a grim Venezuelan prison, inmates face a horrifying reality of being subjected to severe abuse, including being hung, beaten, sexually assaulted, and degraded with dehumanizing acts. Originally designed as a unique shopping center in Caracas, El Helicoide prison has transformed into a nightmarish torture chamber under the administration of the current US-captured president, Nicolás Maduro.
Established in the 1950s, the expansive El Helicoide complex was initially planned as the world’s first drive-thru shopping mall, featuring 300 boutiques and a spiral ramp system. Now referred to as “hell on Earth,” prisoners endure a harrowing existence and suffer various forms of torture, such as the brutal “Russian” or “white torture,” which involves confinement in a small, windowless cell painted entirely in white with relentless bright lights, causing inmates to lose track of time and experience hallucinations.
Disturbing reports from The Telegraph unveil shocking incidents within the prison, where prisoners wake up to find their fellow inmates bloodied and unconscious on the floor. Rosmit Mantilla, a Venezuelan opposition figure who spent two years in El Helicoide, disclosed horrendous accounts of electrocutions and rapes with rifles inflicted on prisoners.
Describing the dire conditions, Rosmit revealed the cramped, poorly ventilated cells, including one ominously named “el infiernito” (little hell) due to its lack of ventilation and perpetual bright lighting. The inmates were compelled to urinate in the same area where they stored their food due to space constraints, with insufficient room even to lie down comfortably.
Although El Helicoide remained mostly vacant for years, the Venezuelan government began relocating agencies into the facility in the 1980s, including the SEBIN, the country’s intelligence service. Following recent military actions in Venezuela led by President Donald Trump, targeting Maduro’s regime, families of inmates may see a glimmer of hope. President of the National Assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, announced plans to release some prisoners, with the regime claiming that 116 individuals have already been freed, a figure disputed by the human rights organization Penal Forum, which cites only 56 releases.