Versión Español
EspañolIván Simonovis is one of the most emblematic political prisoners of Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. He served as public security commissioner in the Metropolitan District of Caracas and was detained during the April 11, 2002 coup that attempted to oust the late Hugo Chávez.
Simonovis announced on Tuesday that he’s going on a hunger strike to demand more humane treatment and be allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest due to health issues.
Simonovis’s lawyer, José Luis Tamayo, read a letter written by the political prisoner in which he said, “All legal methods and instances for my petition have been exhausted, and there has been no answer to my fair request. I am tired of following the law, so I decided to start a hunger strike in my cell until I get an answer.”
The former commissioner was convicted in 2009 on charges related to the coup that killed 19 people and wounded hundreds. Simonovis insists, however, that the trial was politically motivated, and that the court did not admit evidence that would have demonstrated his innocence.
