OVP reported another death in state custody in Lara: it is the third so far in May The Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP) denounced the death of Willian Jonás Colina Delgado, 59, from tuberculosis while imprisoned at the Fénix Lara Penitentiary. This marks the third inmate death at the facility in May, which the OVP attributes to systemic failures in the Venezuelan penitentiary system, including the state’s neglect in providing adequate medical care and the irregular transfer of medication and treatment costs to families. The OVP also highlighted critical overcrowding, lack of hygiene, and the absence of effective protocols for infectious diseases like tuberculosis, contributing to a total of 15 deaths under state custody between April and early May.

• Willian Jonás Colina Delgado, 59, died of tuberculosis in Fénix Lara Penitentiary, becoming the third death at the facility in May.
• The OVP criticized the Venezuelan penitentiary system for systemic failures, stating that treatable diseases like tuberculosis should not be fatal in prisons.
• The organization accused the state of systematically failing to guarantee adequate medical attention and arbitrarily shifting the burden of medication and treatment costs to inmates’ families.
• Critical overcrowding, lack of hygiene, and inadequate protocols for infectious diseases in prisons were cited as factors facilitating the spread of illnesses.
• The OVP has recorded 15 deaths under state custody between April and early May, including other notable cases and five deaths in Yare III attributed to a presumed riot but with family reports of gunshot wounds. https://eldiario.com/2026/05/12/ovp-denuncio-otra-muerte-bajo-custodia-del-estado-lara/