Venezuelan Prisoners Learn of Maduro's Fall a Week Later

While the world watched Nicolás Maduro enter a New York courthouse in handcuffs, thousands of Venezuelan prisoners remained unaware of the regime's collapse for an entire week. The global community had already witnessed the former leader declaring himself a prisoner of war and the appointment of Delcy Rodríguez as acting president. However, individuals held in isolation within the country's prison system continued to believe that Maduro and Cilia Flores were still governing.

The extreme information blackout meant that the country appeared unchanged to those in confinement. While Diosdado Cabello was reportedly patrolling the streets of Caracas to prevent disturbances, prisoners remained in the dark. The critical news of the regime's fall only reached these isolated detainees during their mandatory weekly family visits. This delay underscores the severity of the isolation tactics used within the Venezuelan penalitentiary system.

The fall of the Maduro administration was a televised event, broadcast to millions of viewers worldwide. Footage showed the former leader entering a tribunal in New York while handcuffed. Simultaneously, reports confirmed that he had declared himself a prisoner of war. The political landscape shifted rapidly, with Delcy Rodríguez stepping in as acting president to manage the transition.

Despite these visible and documented events, the reality inside Venezuelan prisons was vastly different. The prison system operates under strict isolation protocols, effectively cutting off inmates from external news. For these individuals, the political structure of the nation remained frozen in time. They continued to operate under the assumption that the status quo remained intact, unaware that the leadership they knew had been detained abroad.

The mechanism of isolation in Venezuelan detention centers is rigorous. Inmates are kept in calabozos (dungeons) and cells that prevent the flow of information. Without access to television, radio, or unrestricted communication, the prisoners' understanding of the outside world is limited to what they are told. Consequently, the news of the regime's collapse did not penetrate these walls.

It was not until the scheduled weekly visits that the truth was revealed. Family members, who had watched the events unfold on the news, brought the information into the prison facilities. The contrast between the global reality and the prisoners' perception was stark. While the world moved on to a new political era, thousands of detainees were just beginning to process the end of an era.

As the news broke, efforts were made to maintain stability within Caracas. Reports indicated that Diosdado Cabello was active on the streets, patrolling to prevent potential disturbances or riots. This measure was likely taken to ensure a controlled transition of power and to manage public reaction to the detention of the nation's leader.

However, this security presence did not extend to the information flow within prisons. The isolation remained absolute for those detained under the regime. The delay in receiving the news serves as a testament to the effectiveness of the information control measures employed by the previous administration. For the prisoners, the fall of the government was not a moment of global celebration, but a delayed realization delivered by family members through prison bars.