In a grim Venezuelan prison known as El Helicoide, inmates face horrific abuses such as beatings, rape, and degrading treatment with bags of excrement placed over their heads. Originally designed as a spiral-shaped shopping mall in Caracas, the capital, this facility under the rule of Nicolás Maduro has transformed into a harrowing place of torture.
Constructed in the 1950s with the vision of being a pioneering drive-thru shopping center globally, El Helicoide now epitomizes a living nightmare where prisoners endure various forms of torment, including the infamous “Russian” or “white torture” technique, involving confinement in a windowless cell painted entirely in white with relentless bright lights, leading to disorientation and hallucinations.
Reports from The Telegraph unveil harrowing scenes inside the prison, where prisoners wake up to find their fellow inmates bloodied and unconscious on the floor. Former prisoner Rosmit Mantilla disclosed shocking details of electrocutions and rapes with rifles happening within the walls of El Helicoide.
Describing the dire conditions, Mantilla highlighted the cramped and oppressive environment in cells nicknamed “el infiernito” or “little hell,” marked by poor ventilation, constant bright lighting, and the necessity to urinate where food was stored due to severe space constraints that did not even allow inmates to lie down.
Despite standing mostly vacant for years, El Helicoide saw a resurgence in the 1980s when government agencies, including the intelligence service SEBIN, occupied the premises. The recent military operation in Venezuela, led by President Donald Trump and resulting in the capture of Maduro, has raised hopes for the families of inmates, with claims from the government that some prisoners have been released – a figure disputed by human rights groups.
Amidst the conflicting information, there remains a glimmer of hope for those trapped within the walls of El Helicoide, as the world watches closely for any signs of relief for the suffering inmates.