In a grim Venezuelan prison in the capital city of Caracas called El Helicoide, inmates reportedly endure horrific treatment including beatings, rapes, and being left with bags of waste over their heads. Originally designed in the 1950s as a spiral-shaped shopping center, the facility now serves as a notorious torture chamber under the rule of the captured president, Nicolás Maduro.
Dubbed as “hell on Earth,” El Helicoide houses prisoners facing a harrowing existence with torturous practices such as the “Russian” or “white torture,” involving confinement in small, windowless, brightly lit cells that distort inmates’ sense of time and reality.
Reports detail shocking scenes within the prison, where prisoners wake up to find their fellow inmates bloodied and unconscious on the floor. Former inmate and Venezuelan opposition politician Rosmit Mantilla revealed instances of electrocution and rape with rifles, leading to severe injuries and trauma among the detainees.
Describing the appalling conditions, Rosmit mentioned a cell known as “el infiernito” or “little hell,” characterized by overcrowding, lack of ventilation, and constant bright lighting. Inmates were forced to urinate in the same area where they kept their food due to severe space constraints, leaving them with no room to even lie down comfortably.
El Helicoide, once largely vacant, saw government agencies, including the intelligence service SEBIN, occupying the building in the 1980s. Recent military actions in Venezuela, spearheaded by the US and President Donald Trump, have raised hopes for the families of inmates, with claims from officials about potential releases of detainees. However, discrepancies exist between official figures and those reported by human rights organizations, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in addressing the plight of prisoners in El Helicoide.