VENEZUELA INVESTIGATES TORTURE CLAIMS AGAINST MIGRANTS

The Venezuelan government has opened a formal investigation into harrowing allegations of torture and inhumane treatment of over 250 Venezuelan migrants who were detained in El Salvador following deportation from the United States.
According to a statement released by the office of Venezuela’s Attorney-General, Tarek William Saab, the detainees—mostly men in their twenties and thirties—reported enduring routine physical and psychological abuse while held in Salvadoran detention centers. The accusations include daily beatings, sexual assault, prolonged periods of starvation, forced labor, and denial of medical attention. Several detainees are also said to have suffered broken bones, missing teeth, and severe bruises.
Video footage and photographic evidence submitted by the Venezuelan government show disturbing images of bruised bodies, swollen limbs, and visibly malnourished individuals. Families of some detainees claim they lost contact with their loved ones for weeks, with no access to legal representation or communication while they were held in facilities under the jurisdiction of El Salvador’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
Venezuela has described the alleged abuse as “systemic and organized,” accusing El Salvador’s security forces of violating multiple international conventions, including the UN Convention Against Torture. In response, Caracas has called on global human rights institutions—including the International Criminal Court (ICC), the United Nations Human Rights Council, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights—to launch parallel, independent investigations into the treatment of deported Venezuelans.
“The suffering of our citizens must not go unaddressed,” Attorney-General Saab said. “We are demanding accountability and transparency from the government of El Salvador. Torture must not be hidden under the veil of national security or migration control.”
These accusations add a new layer of complexity to the already tense relationship between Venezuela and El Salvador, both of which are facing growing international criticism over their domestic human rights records. El Salvador, under the leadership of President Nayib Bukele, has received sharp rebukes from rights organizations over mass arrests, indefinite detentions, and reported abuse of detainees amid its aggressive anti-gang crackdown.
Ironically, Venezuela itself is under investigation by the ICC for similar allegations of state-sponsored torture, arbitrary arrests, and persecution of political opponents. This duality has prompted critics to accuse Caracas of hypocrisy, though the Maduro-led government insists it is defending the rights of its nationals abroad and has a constitutional responsibility to intervene.
No official response has yet been issued by the Salvadoran government regarding the allegations, though analysts suggest this case may draw renewed attention from international watchdogs already monitoring El Salvador’s security policies.
Human rights advocates are urging both governments to allow full access to independent investigators, while also calling on the United States and other deporting countries to reassess the safety of sending migrants back to detention-prone regions.
The investigation is ongoing.