Oswaldo García Palomo, a retired National Guard colonel, is held in Venezuela's El Rodeo I prison as a political prisoner. His family has reported that during more than seven years of detention he has not received medical evaluation, despite suffering from back pain and vision problems.
The colonel's son, Oswaldo García Padilla, stated that his 62-year-old father has not received medical care during all this time. He noted that García Palomo also does not have the glasses he wore before his detention and that there is a family history of heart disease. García Padilla indicated that the family's requests for a medical consultation have gone unanswered.
García Palomo was detained in 2019 after being accused of participating in a conspiracy against the government. He was initially held in Sebin facilities at El Helicoide and subsequently in Dgcim cells, before being transferred to El Rodeo I more than two and a half years ago.
García Padilla explained that neither he nor his mother nor his brother are currently in Venezuela, which makes visits difficult. He stated that he managed to speak to his father by telephone this week for the first time in more than two and a half years, in a call lasting approximately five minutes. He noted that after the 24 June earthquake he had brief communication lasting around 30 seconds in which his mother was able to hear the colonel's voice.
The family also reported difficulties in sending letters, food or supplements to him, processes that can take months. García Padilla recounted that during the earthquake his father remained locked in his cell whilst the guards abandoned the premises. He expressed concern about the psychological impact on his father and other inmates, indicating that they feel "abandoned because they remain there and nothing changes".
