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Venezuelan authorities have opened an investigation following claims that hundreds of deported migrants were subjected to torture and abuse while imprisoned in El Salvador. The 252 Venezuelans had been sent to the notorious CECOT facility under a United States deportation initiative and have since returned home, many bearing signs of severe mistreatment.
Speaking at a press briefing in Caracas on Monday, Attorney General Tarek William Saab presented photographic evidence and testimonies from the returnees, some of whom displayed visible injuries, including bruises, rubber bullet wounds, and split lips. The detainees described conditions of extreme physical and psychological abuse, with reports of sexual violence, inadequate food, and poor sanitation.
Andry Hernández Romero, a 32-year-old beautician and one of those detained, described his ordeal in a recorded statement. “We endured torture — both physical and psychological. I was sexually assaulted,” he said.
Saab said the migrants, who were repatriated last Friday, were currently undergoing medical evaluations, receiving replacement identification documents, and giving official statements as part of the probe.
Many of those held in El Salvador said they had been kept in windowless, overcrowded cells, deprived of sunlight, and denied access to lawyers or communication with family. Photos released earlier this year by President Nayib Bukele’s government showed the group arriving at CECOT prison with shaved heads and shackled limbs.
One mother, Mercedes Yamarte, told AFP of the emotional moment she heard from her son Mervin, who had been imprisoned for over four months. “Hearing his voice again brought me indescribable joy,” she said, having prepared a homecoming celebration at their home in Maracaibo.
The migrants had been accused by the US of gang affiliations and were deported to El Salvador in March under a controversial measure invoked by President Donald Trump, bypassing normal legal proceedings. The harsh treatment they allegedly endured has sparked condemnation from human rights organisations and prompted calls for accountability.
Attorney General Saab said his office would be seeking to hold President Bukele and other Salvadoran officials responsible, describing the events as possible crimes against humanity. He urged the International Criminal Court and the UN Human Rights Council to intervene.
The return of the migrants reportedly formed part of a diplomatic arrangement that saw Venezuela release 10 Americans and several political detainees. However, the Venezuelan government emphasised that negotiations occurred exclusively with the United States, dismissing any involvement from Bukele with a mocking reference to him as “the clown.”
Despite leading this investigation, Venezuela itself remains under scrutiny by the International Criminal Court over allegations of similar abuses against its own political prisoners. Human rights group Foro Penal reports that hundreds remain behind bars in Venezuela for political reasons, with thousands arrested and dozens killed during protests following disputed elections last year.
