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Discos are common in Venezuelan penitentiaries, admits minister

Friday, January 24th 2014 - 03:31 UTC
Full article 16 comments
Minister Varela admitting the 'regrettable perversion' Minister Varela admitting the 'regrettable perversion'

Discotheques have long operated inside Venezuelan penitentiaries, the head of the country's prison service said Thursday in response to a public uproar over the death of a young man after partying at a disco behind bars.

”The scandal (regarding) if 'there are discotheques in the prisons.' The discos in the prisons have always existed, at least since the revolution (1999, when leftist Hugo Chavez became president).

Regrettably, it's a perversion,“ Iris Varela told reporters from a prison in the eastern state of Anzoategui.

”What the management of the revolutionary government has done is do away with those discotheques, close them,“ the Prisons Service minister said.

Varela made no mention to reporters about the death of an 18-year-old visitor last Sunday as a result of consuming toxic substances, after spending the entire weekend in a discotheque in Tocoron prison in the central state of Aragua.

Exactly one month ago the minister said that the chronic crisis in the Venezuelan prisons was coming to a close, reporting the disarming of inmates and announcing the construction of new prisons.

In the first nine months of 2013, more than 300 inmates died in prisons around the country, while in 2012, 591 inmates died, according to the independent Venezuelan Prisons Observatory.

The Venezuelan penal system is experiencing a chronic crisis due to the entry of weapons and drugs into the prisons and the high murder rate, a problem that the late Chavez called a ”cancer” and which spurred him two years ago to create the ministry headed by Varela.

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  • Anglotino

    Varela sounds like she is as good at her job as Maduro is at his!

    “What the management of the revolutionary government has done is do away with those discotheques, close them”

    And yet.... last weekend, an 18-year-old VISITOR died after consuming toxic substances, after spending the ENTIRE WEEKEND in a discotheque in Tocoron prison.

    WTF!

    So much for closing them down. Is it only me or does anyone else think it is perverse that an 18 year old can go and spend an entire weekend partying and consuming drugs in a prison?

    We are all Chavez!

    Jan 24th, 2014 - 03:47 am 0
  • ilsen

    Ahh! But we have La Patria!

    (this is to reference a Health Minister in response to the lack of feminine sanitary products last year, and other statements by MaBurro's gang)

    To learn more about this crazy loon go here
    http://caracaschronicles.com/2011/08/01/iris-unfiltered/

    She makes Cristina look like a sweet old auntie..

    Jan 24th, 2014 - 04:00 am 0
  • Captain Poppy

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiBYM6g8Tck

    Jan 24th, 2014 - 01:58 pm 0
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