Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro marked the start of Christmas celebrations on October 1 by launching fireworks from El Helicoide, a Caracas detention facility widely documented as a site of torture. The building, headquarters of the country's intelligence service SEBIN, continues to hold dozens of political prisoners.
Videos and photos shared on social media showed the fireworks display lighting up the complex, which human rights organizations describe as one of Venezuela's most notorious prisons. The celebration coincided with the government's declaration of October 1 as the official beginning of the holiday season, a decision made by Maduro back in early September and which he has done for several years.
