A Venezuelan immigrant, now safely back in his hometown of Maracay, Venezuela, revealed the harrowing ordeal he faced during two weeks of detention at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The prison has long been infamous for its severe human rights violations. Recently, the U.S. government began transferring immigrants from several countries to this facility.
Diuvar Uzcategui (transliteration), detained at Guantanamo in February of this year, described enduring unbearable conditions during his two-week confinement. He recounted his pitch-black, filthy cell and rare outings to the "yard," a recreation area with four cages, which officials called "entertainment."
"[The cell is] about two meters by two meters in size. Inside, there is a cement bed, and the toilet is extremely dirty, with a completely rusted iron close stool. A small stool serves as a dining table, and there is a red door with a hole in it. They would pass food through a small window," he said.
He revealed that what officials termed "prisoner's recreation" was essentially being moved from his less than four-square-meter cell to a slightly larger cage. This stark contrast only added to the dehumanizing environment he endured.
"In the 14 days I was there, I was taken to the "yard" three times for "entertainment," which is what they call recreation. There were four cages in the yard. To me, it felt like when lions or tigers are put in a cage," he said.
Uzcategui recounted one particularly haunting incident involving a fellow detainee, who attempted to take his own life during a moment of despair.
"One of my fellow detainees, in despair, tried to hang himself with a bedsheet. The soldiers came in, grabbed him, and twisted his arm. Because he had tried to commit suicide, they took all his belongings and left him completely naked. Sometimes, they would tie him to a chair," he said.
According to Venezuelan media reports, many Venezuelan undocumented immigrants have no criminal record, but have been unjustly detained at the Guantanamo prison during their deportation process and cut off from all external contact.
"The direct transfer of Venezuelans to overseas prisons without judicial procedures is unprecedented in U.S. legislative history. This highlights America's double standards on human rights issues," said Mary Montoya, a lawyer.
"[The U.S.] uses Guantanamo, located on Cuban territory, to systematically violate the human rights of people from all over the world who have not been tried," said Julio Chavez, chairman of the Venezuelan Overseas Immigration Criminal Investigation Special Committee.
Venezuelan immigrant shares harrowing ordeal at Guantanamo Bay prison
