The regime of Nicolás Maduro used El Helicoide, the main detention and torture center in Venezuela, as the setting to launch fireworks to mark the early start of Christmas in that country.
The show took place on Wednesday night, following the decree issued by Chavismo that set October 1 as the official date for the beginning of the Christmas festivities. Residents of Caracas took photos and videos, which were shared on social media, where they captured the moment when the structure, where dozens of political prisoners remain, was illuminated with pyrotechnics.
The United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission reported that torture methods are used in this complex, such as stress positions, suffocation with bags or water, electric shocks to the genitals, and beatings with blunt objects.
"Detainees were exposed to death and rape threats, forced nudity in extreme temperatures, and being kept chained for long periods," the organization stated.
