Without the rule of law

On the violation of human rights in Venezuela behind the jail

An Interview to Rosmit Mantilla a ex political prisoner

"Nine cells and a bathroom; a corridor 35 meters long and 1.5 meters wide; partly under ground. In a cell of 2 by 3 meters, that was where I spent two and a half years of my life: every day feeling sure that they were going to kill me. I was a political prisoner in the hands of SEBIN (The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service): a body which seems to act with patterns and behaviours that have been established with the intention to torture political prisoners. All the SEBIN torturers were very well trained Venezuelans. Although many Venezuelan's believe that it is the Cuban's who are primarily responsible for acts of torture, during my time in the prison, I did not encounter any Cuban agents; there were only Venezuelan's. By ignoring Venezuela's role in the persecution of its own people, Venezuelan's are allowing the perpetuation of the current regime. 

Unlike many, I did not suffer physical torture. however, the psychological torture was, in some ways, worse. I was forced to witness my colleagues being hung, electrocuted, raped. I was forced to witness the crimes of state - those crimes that remain unreported by the Venezuelan media - committed by the Venezuelan National Government.

Fortunately, I was imprisoned because I had seen the true face of President Nicolas Maduro and his henchmen. While inside the prison, I came to learn that we were not just facing an extreme Left party: we were facing ruthless murders and drug dealers.”

On March 2nd, 2014, Rosmit Mantilla was arrested for his connection with Leopoldo Lopez, a leader of the opposition Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party, who called for Venezuelans to protest in the streets after Nicolas Maduro won the unfair election in 2013. 

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Mantilla, a young journalist, belonged to the Youth of the Popular Will party and worked in the defense of Human Rights in Venezuela. He was the first youth in the country to speak out openly about gay marriage. His courage in advocating for these causes secured him the support of international organisations while he was political prisoner: "As an LGBT community activist, the UN and Amnesty International spoke for me. I always use the Gay flag and I was declared a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International," said Mantilla. 

While studying journalism at Santa Maria University in Caracas, there were events in the country which were violating democracy, such as the closure of RCTV in 2007 (the Venezuelan free-to-air television network). "There, I started to awaken a kind of political consciousness," says Mantilla. "My love for politics is not a life goal but it has been the only place where I have felt valued. 

Mantilla worked in the Chacao Municipality in the Press area and, from there, began his relationship with Lopez. Under the leadership of Lopez, Mantilla quickly found himself in a central role in the formation of the Popular Will party: 'I was in charge of communications, little by little we created a party and it was when Voluntad Popular in the 2009 was born. We were 15 people thinking in Venezuela and exchanging ideas. We knew the political crisis that was coming."

In support of the party, Mantilla spent more than five years of his life, touring Venezuela, along with the other young people. On their tour, they spoke openly about topics that were controversial, even taboo, at that time: they were speaking about Human Rights issues. This was hard work, in a country without the rule of law and where a dictator governs.

Mantilla quickly became the party's National Juvenile Responsible for Sexual Diversity. He said "I did not know that I was a politician until then. I have always been an integral activist, not only have I fought for the rights of LGBT community but I worked for health and education." This was how Mantilla began his foray into Venezuelan politics: with an education in communication and with a need to fight for the rights that were lost in his country. 

Once Mantilla was arrested, he was held behind bars in Helicoide, a detention centre in Caracas. With only a daily anxiolytic pill and books like 'La Habana sin Tacones’ (Havana without high hills) to help him cope with reality of his captivity: "At 6 am they opened the bars so that we could walk in the narrow corridor, and at 10 o'clock at night they closed them". In prison, where his days were no longer his own, Mantilla was forced to use the night, as a time when he could think, work on future projects and write interviews he conducted with the other prisoners. 

During Mantilla's incarceration, his mother helped him by smuggling his letters in and out of the prison. "On Thursdays and Saturdays, we had visitors and during these visits my mother hid, inside of the arepas (a traditional Venezuelan dish), the letters that my colleagues sent me." In one of these letters Mantilla received the invitation to be nominated to the candidacy as a deputy in the legislature, by the Popular Will opposition party. On the 5th of December 2015, the opposition had achieved 112 deputies in the National Assembly, including him; but this political strategy did not lead to his release as the supreme court of justice decided, one month later, to remove parliamentary immunity.

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Eight months later, having one meal a day, Mantilla fell gravely ill. His gallbladder deteriorated and, at the same time, the pancreas had become contaminated. This illness - which almost took him to his death - ended up being, his pass to his freedom: "I went to the clinic, the doctor told the guards that I was very sick and that I was going to die. They passed me to the emergency services.  The only one solution was a surgery".  The SEBIN, however, gave the order minutes later that Mantilla should be returned to Helicoide. Despite the severity of his situation, Mantilla perceived that, despite not being allowed the surgery, he had a chance to communicate to the world about what had been happening to him as there were many people crowded around the door of the clinic due to his presence there: "When I left the clinic, there were the media and I was able to shout the reality of what had been happening to me."

This caused a great impact on social media because, at that time, there was to be a political dialogue between the opposition and the government was being planned: a dialogue to carry out a supposed recall referendum. “Dialoged that was not supported by the Popular Will party” said Mantilla.

Following his return to the prison, Mantilla was kept for 10 days in a dark cell where he was exposed to severe tortures. At the end his health condition became so delicate that the authorities were forced to take him, again, to hospital. They took him to the Military hospital, and they allowed him to see his mother. On that day, a dialogue table was set up in Caracas with an envoy from the Pope, the MUD (The Democratic Unity Roundtable) and the government. Says Mantilla "my despair led me to ask my mother's phone, went to the bathroom, call a leader who reserved my name, and told him if something happens to me is your fault for that dialogue."

After that call he won the first battle to get an operation, and then came the fight for his freedom, which was approved three days after his operation. After the pressure he had applied in his phonecall and the consequent pressure from his political party, the international pressure from the UN, Amnesty International and the Vatican; his release was finally secured. It was the first time that the Vatican had ever assumed the defense of an LGBT community activist.

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Upon his release, Mantilla continued to speak out for Human Rights: "The months after my release were harder than prison. I was interviewed by the international media about the tortures carried out by the SEBIN and many opposition parties said that my testimony was going to put me back in jail and because of my statements they were not going to free other political prisoners.” 

His determination to denounce the government for its crimes was a calling for which he was willing to commit his life. With great feeling Mantilla told of two episodes of torture that he lived through during his time as a political prisoner: "We had three days of tortured psychologically by officials of Iris Valera (the Minister for Prison Service), especially to Rodolfo Gonzalez one of my cellmates. This led to the third day Rodolfo hangs".  Rodolfo Gonzalez was a pilot, 64 years old and active opponent against the Venezuelan government when he was captured in 2014, during one of the 'guarimbas' (protests) held in the city of Caracas. 

Other episodes that he says he cannot forget include his hunger strike for the sake of other incarcerated friends who were in 'la Tumba' (10 meters underground prison, created in 2014 to imprison politicians who represented a danger to the government). In retaliation for his hunger strike, the guards responded with further cruelties: "I was isolated for a whole night and at midnight one of the official came with the Bible in his hand, began to read the apocalypse, and between each verse threatened me, turned the page and said: never more see your family and showed me photos of my sister who was six months pregnant and told me: your sister every day walks down this street, and they show me pictures of my sister walking down the street". After these threats, Mantilla was forced to give up his hunger-strike because he realised that the SEBIN were not afraid to commit any crimes; they had no fear of being prosecuted for the atrocites they were commiting, as they had the full backing of the government. 

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When I conducted this interview in April 2019, Venezuela had the highest number of political prisoners in its history. 989 were registered as political prisoners in an assessment done by the Organisation Foro Penal on February 11, 2019. The latest of these captures was Gilberto Caro, the Deputy of the National Assembly and a member of the Voluntad Popular party. He was arrested on April 26, 2019 by the dictatorship. Statements made by his relatives say they do not know of his whereabouts. This is a kidnapping that violates his rightful parliamentary immunity and has taken place only days before the 1st of May when a large national manifestation has been organised to take. 

Finally, I asked Mantilla: "Who is, for you, currently the most important leader in Venezuelan politics?" he replied: "There are 30 million Venezuelans that must be summoned, I do not believe in political figures.” His call to the people of Venezuela to stand up against the corruption of the government is a powerful one. When will Venezuelans refuse to let this continue?

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