On 18 March 2014, Daniel Ceballos, Mayor of San Cristóbal, one of the most politically important cities in Venezuela, was arrested by officers of the Bolivarian National Service of Intelligence (SEBIN) and taken into custody.
He was convicted to 12 months in prison for contempt to a measure issued by the Supreme Court regarding the use of barricades. The measure had stated that Mayors were required to dissolve any form of protest that involved the use of barricades, however, Ceballos neglected to obey this measure. Days later he was arrested and convicted.
That was one year and two months ago. Despite the fact that his sentence has elapsed, Ceballos is yet to be set free. When the time came for him to be released after his sentence, a difference court claimed he could not be freed because he still held an open trial without conviction for the crimes of criminal association and civil rebellion.
Daniel Ceballos is one of 70 political prisoners the chavista government has taken under arrest, in addition to other 30 opposition mayors that have open trials. His story, to me, is remarkable not because of a long history of struggle (after all he was not one of the main opposition leaders historically) but because of the way in which he stood against the government during the turmoil last year. He has not only spoken fearlessly against the government, as has his wife (who now holds his position as Mayor of San Cristóbal), but he has supported his people against what he considered continuous and systematic violations to the constitution and fundamental rights Venezuelans should enjoy.
Nevertheless, the actions taken against the political prisoners have been shameful. While these men await a miracle in their tiny cells, we, most Venezuelans, have gotten used to the fact that this situation will not change. Some call it resignation, others call it lack of interest, but the truth is we have all felt trapped with helplessness thanks to a government who has constantly demonstrated that the well-being of its citizens is not their main concern.
Remarkable is the case of the six students who remain prisoners five floors beneath the ground and are constantly subject of torture – something their statements in court have clearly shown. Yet no one is is doing very much to change the situation they are in, especially the government.
Daniel Ceballos, Leopoldo Lopéz and other 15 political prisoners were recently on a hunger strike. In the past, Ceballos has presented some very serious health complications involving his kidneys and had lost almost 30 pounds the last time his wife was able to see him on 7 June. He only drank three glasses of water a day – nothing else. From 4 June until 7 June he remained in a punishment cell, during which time his wife and his doctors were unable to see him.
These and many other clear human rights violations are the main reason for which they commenced this strike. On 30 May, both prisoners, Ceballos and Lopéz, called for a rally in Caracas, where their wives finally stated the objectives of their strike: the release of all political prisoners and the setting of a date for the next parliamentary elections.
Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize winner and survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camps, once wrote:
“…the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference between life and death.”
This quote accurately describes the situation these political prisoners faced when decided to go on hunger strike. Ceballos’s wife, Patricia Ceballos, said during an interview that for her husband this was the only resource he felt he was left with to protest for a better country. She said he constantly felt frustrated and defenceless towards the constant mistreatment and abuse him and his family are subject to, and therefore he saw no other way out other than to expose his own health in order to be heard.
This shows his own desperation and that limbo of indifference Elie Wiesel talked about. It shows that Ceballos and the other political prisoners have entered a path where they feel abandoned by a government who is not willing listen to their people.
Why is this a huge determining factor for the government? The opposition political prisoners are one of the issues where the government comes out least popular. Hence, if the government were to take action to reverse the situation it could mean a positive increase in their approval ratings. It is important to note the latest approval ratings for the government stand only just above 22%, so why are they not taking advantage of this situation?
Surely the cost of causing the death of an opposition leader would be a much greater burden than setting a date for the parliamentary elections, freeing the prisoners, or at least agreeing to negotiate with remaining opposition leaders. However, the Venezuelan government is so absorbed in its history of power, corruption and revolution that it cannot go back. They cannot risk to lose its powerful position.
The government has reached a point where the risk of been held accountable for any of the actions it has taken in the past 16 years is an even bigger burden than letting the prisoners’ health be compromised.
Fighting against a government who has demonstrated to be reckless, these prisoners are facing a real death threat. All of us who support and believe in their cause and struggle must shout to the world about the atrocities the Venezuelan government is carrying out. And we must hope that with some national and international help that these prisoners can be rescued from the limbo of indifference they are feeling left to.
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