A prominent religious leader and human rights defender imprisoned in Rodeo III Prison in Miranda State, Venezuela, has reported serious health concerns due to inadequate management of a complex medical condition during his near five-year detention.
Bishop Dr. Jylman Red Jurado Farfán was arrested on 30 July 2021 after being summoned under false pretenses to explain an academic project, the ‘Leadership and Communicative Innovation in Democratic Values Program’, which he had been developing. He confirmed to CSW that his arrest resulted in arbitrary charges of terrorism, criminal association, and conspiracy, based on the authorities’ interpretation of his civic education work as an attempt to destabilise the State.
Prior to his detention, Bishop Jurado Farfán led an active social ministry that included providing free legal assistance to political prisoners and managing community soup kitchens, activities that the authorities characterised as ‘political confrontation’.
In an interview with CSW, the bishop reported that his overall health has been described by forensic specialists as being in ‘poor condition’, with warnings of a possible hypovolemic shock or cardiac arrest. He is currently suffering from atypical pneumonia, intercostal neuritis, and both upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding. He is also experiencing severe depression resulting from the loss of his mother and maternal grandmother while in detention.
Although at least six court orders have been issued requiring his urgent transfer for medical evaluations, these orders have been ignored by prison authorities, effectively turning pretrial detention into a cruel and unlawful punishment that violates his rights to life and physical integrity.
The judicial process against Bishop Jurado Farfán has been marred by serious irregularities, including the withholding of his case file for nearly ten months and the suspension of his trial after almost two years of hearings without any conclusive evidence being presented.
The bishop told CSW that he has been subjected to a campaign of harassment targeting his faith through mockery and restrictions on access to religious materials and spiritual support. Furthermore, for defending the religious freedom rights of other inmates, he was confined for ten days in an isolation cell known as ‘La Luciérnaga’ (‘The Firefly’) where he was subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment, including witnessing inmates being kept naked for extended periods and enduring physical and psychological torture.
CSW’s Director of Advocacy and Americas Team Leader Anna Lee Stangl said: ‘CSW is deeply concerned for the health of Bishop Jurado Farfán, and we call on the government of Venezuela to guarantee his immediate release in light of the absence of lawful evidence against him and the flagrant violation of his right to effective judicial protection. Furthermore we urge Venezuela to end the criminalisation and prosecution of religious leaders who carry out their prophetic mission in defense of human dignity, and to respect the right to freedom of conscience and religion or belief within the prison system, as established under the Nelson Mandela Rules.’
Note to Editors:
- Bishop Jurado Farfán is a bishop of the independent Latin American Anglican Church serving in the Archdiocese of Venezuela of the Holy Spirit in Caracas. The church is not affiliated with the Church of England or the Global Anglican Communion.