In a chilling account of his ordeal, Camilo Castro, a French yoga teacher, has spoken out about his five months of detention as a political prisoner in Venezuela. Accused of being a spy, Castro alleges he was subjected to torture, humiliation, and squalid conditions while imprisoned.

<h2>Arrested at the Border</h2>
<p>Last June, while seeking to renew his Colombian visa by leaving and re-entering the country via the Venezuelan border, Castro was arrested. He was taken to an underground cell in Maracaibo, where he found damp walls, filthy toilets, and cockroaches infesting the area. The cell bore "traces of blood on the walls" and was equipped with torture implements, including water bottles, rags, plastic bags, tear gas, and insecticide.</p>

<h2>Interrogations and Torture</h2>
<p>Castro was questioned by an agent of the DGCIM, Venezuela's military intelligence agency, who accused him of being a spy and threatened him with imprisonment. The agent dosed Castro with <a href="https://www.leparisien.fr/faits-divers/video-colombie-tinder-et-scopolamine-cocktail-mortel-pour-les-touristes-dragueurs-de-medellin-25-01-2024-5LLSAJYSD5HQ7JRGMNWGR7TODU.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scopolamine</a>, a truth serum, in an attempt to pressure him into confessing.</p>
<blockquote>
  <p>"Today it's okay, but tomorrow it's not. Maybe in 30 seconds I'll be crying. I am holding on thanks to meditation, the love of my friends and my family."</p>
  <cite>— Camilo Castro, speaking from the Paris region</cite>
</blockquote>
<p>Transferred to Caracas, Castro was kept in an underground cell handcuffed and hooded. After five days, he was allowed to "see the sun" briefly before being transferred to Rodeo 1 prison. Here, he was subjected to daily humiliations, insufficient food, recurring illnesses, and socialist propaganda.</p>

<h2>Night Tortures and Mock Trials</h2>
<p>Castro describes being forced to participate in mock trials at night, where he was accused of terrorism and being an agent of the CIA. He was subjected to polygraph interrogations and faced the threat of punishment, including beatings, asphyxiation with tear gas, and forced intubations. Castro alleges that soldiers and prison directors participated in the torture "with a certain enjoyment."</p>

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  <p class="title-embed-dailymotion">"Long live freedom": Frenchman Camilo Castro has arrived in France</p>
  <video src="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/..." controls></video>
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<h2>Release and Return to Venezuela</h2>
<p>Released in November, Castro returned to France but has not ruled out a potential return to Venezuela. He seeks recognition as a victim in France and wants to contribute to the rehabilitation of the many Venezuelans still imprisoned. His account comes as the International Criminal Court investigates possible crimes against humanity committed under the previous government of Nicolás Maduro.</p>