Inmate Death in Venezuela’s Women’s Prison Raises Alarm
about the political prisoners
Over the weekend of June 20-21, an inmate in Venezuela’s “La Crisalida” women’s prison died for lack of adequate medical care, according to the Venezuelan Prison Observatory.
HAVANA TIMES – Women’s prisons or annexes housing women political prisoners are not exempt from the terrible conditions of the Venezuelan prison system. Although women account for less than 10% of the country’s prison population, they are held in facilities that, for the most part, were not designed with a gender perspective in mind.
This weekend, the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) reported the death of Fabiana Desiree Paez Fernandez at La Crisalida prison, located in Los Teques, in Venezuela’s Miranda State. Although Fabiana was not a political prisoner, her death adds to the 26 fatalities that the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP) has recorded from April through June of this year.
Fabiana’s death while in state custody was caused by respiratory failure and “other health conditions” that, according to the OVP, were not treated.
The occurrence especially alarmed the relatives of political prisoners also being held at that detention center, including the family of Yazmín Fajardo, a political prisoner suffering from depression.
The legal situation of Yazmin del Carmen Fajardo continues to be monitored by human rights organizations in Venezuela, more than a year after her arrest by state security forces. She was arrested on May 7, 2025, while traveling by public transportation from the state of Barinas to Miranda, on her way to visit a family member in the Yare III Penitentiary, located in the latter state.
According to reports from the activists and networks that track detentions, Yazmin’s arrest occurred after she used her personal social media accounts to post messages demanding the release of her husband, who is also in custody.
Family Situation and Allegations
The case has gained visibility in recent weeks, thanks to family members and networks of independent journalists, who have highlighted it during the peaceful rallies held in Caracas.
On June 1, Anneris Fajardo, Yazmín’s sister, reported that her sister’s trial had been scheduled to begin three months ago, but it was postponed and the court has not set a new date.
“They have no evidence of anything; those case files are fabricated,” she said.
Fajardo’s sister noted that her niece keeps asking about her mother: “Auntie, why do all my classmates and friends have their moms, but I don’t have mine? Did my mom abandon me? Are you going to abandon me too?”
Former political prisoner Lourdes Villarreal wrote on Saturday, June 20, that while she was detained at La Crisalida, she met Jazmín. Villareal confirmed that Jazmin Fajardo suffers from depression and anxiety.
“She cries a lot; this is a walking death. They must release Jazmin now. Her 5-year-old daughter misses her mom and dad,” Villarreal posted on X.
First published in Spanish by Efecto Cocuyo and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.