Pedro Fernández, a urology specialist surgeon and member of United Doctors in Mérida state, was released on February 1 after being imprisoned in Venezuela. He shared details about his cellmate, Argentine lawyer Germán Giuliani, who remains detained in Yare II prison. According to Fernández, Giuliani is mentally distraught.
Pedro Fernández, a urology specialist surgeon and member of the United Doctors organization in Venezuela's Mérida state, regained his freedom on February 1, 2026. During his detention, he shared a cell with Argentine lawyer Germán Giuliani, a political prisoner who remains confined in Yare II prison, located on the outskirts of Caracas.
In an interview with TN, Fernández recounted his experiences, emphasizing the psychological toll on fellow inmates. "Mentally he is distraught," he said regarding Giuliani, highlighting the emotional strain faced by detainees in such conditions. This account underscores the challenges endured by political prisoners in Venezuela, a recurring theme in human rights reports on the country.
Fernández's release is part of a broader context of arbitrary detentions targeting healthcare professionals and opponents. United Doctors has documented numerous similar cases in Mérida and other regions, where physicians are arrested for their activism. Giuliani was previously detained for his work as a human rights defense lawyer, according to known backgrounds in Argentine exile circles.
This testimony provides a firsthand voice to narratives about Venezuela's prison system, where overcrowding and isolation exacerbate the mental deterioration of inmates.
