Tortured for Five Years: Venezuelan Anglican Bishop Freed After Toenails Pulled, Chest Burned by Guards
Venezuela has released Anglican Bishop Dr. Jylman Red Jurado Farfán from Rodeo III Prison in Miranda State after more than five years behind bars — a captivity marked, he says, by brutal torture at the hands of prison guards. He was one of 81 prisoners freed on August 14, according to the UK-based human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Authorities arrested Bishop Jurado Farfán on July 30, 2021, after summoning him under false pretenses. He had been called in to explain an academic project — a leadership and civic values program — that he had been developing. He was subsequently charged with terrorism, criminal association and conspiracy, with authorities accusing his social ministry work of being an attempt to destabilize the state. Prior to his arrest, the bishop led an active social ministry providing free legal assistance to political prisoners and running community soup kitchens.
The judicial process against him was marred by serious irregularities, including his case file being withheld for nearly ten months, and his trial being suspended after almost two years of hearings without any conclusive evidence presented. Concerns for his welfare heightened this past June, when he reported serious health issues including atypical pneumonia, intercostal neuritis, and gastrointestinal bleeding. During his time in custody, he says guards pulled out his toenails and burned an open wound on his chest with electricity.
Following his release, the bishop offered a statement of gratitude and faith. "My beloved brothers and sisters in the unity of the body of Christ, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, my fraternal hugs; and I bless God for the feeling and the desire that God placed in your hearts so that this liberation would be possible, where the Lord broke the chains of oppression, of fear, of torture, and gave us physical freedom," he said.
Bishop Jurado Farfán serves in the Archdiocese of Venezuela of the Holy Spirit, part of the independent Latin American Anglican Church, based in Caracas — a body with no affiliation to the Church of England or the global Anglican Communion. CSW's Director of Advocacy, Anna Lee Stangl, condemned the treatment he endured and called on Venezuela to end its harassment of religious leaders.
#JylmanJuradoFarfan #Venezuela #ChristianPersecution #ReligiousFreedom #AnglicanChurch #FreedomFromTyranny #ChristianMessenger #ProphecyNews
Venezuela has released Anglican Bishop Dr. Jylman Red Jurado Farfán from Rodeo III Prison in Miranda State after more than five years behind bars — a captivity marked, he says, by brutal torture at the hands of prison guards. He was one of 81 prisoners freed on August 14, according to the UK-based human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Authorities arrested Bishop Jurado Farfán on July 30, 2021, after summoning him under false pretenses. He had been called in to explain an academic project — a leadership and civic values program — that he had been developing. He was subsequently charged with terrorism, criminal association and conspiracy, with authorities accusing his social ministry work of being an attempt to destabilize the state. Prior to his arrest, the bishop led an active social ministry providing free legal assistance to political prisoners and running community soup kitchens.
The judicial process against him was marred by serious irregularities, including his case file being withheld for nearly ten months, and his trial being suspended after almost two years of hearings without any conclusive evidence presented. Concerns for his welfare heightened this past June, when he reported serious health issues including atypical pneumonia, intercostal neuritis, and gastrointestinal bleeding. During his time in custody, he says guards pulled out his toenails and burned an open wound on his chest with electricity.
Following his release, the bishop offered a statement of gratitude and faith. "My beloved brothers and sisters in the unity of the body of Christ, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, my fraternal hugs; and I bless God for the feeling and the desire that God placed in your hearts so that this liberation would be possible, where the Lord broke the chains of oppression, of fear, of torture, and gave us physical freedom," he said.
Bishop Jurado Farfán serves in the Archdiocese of Venezuela of the Holy Spirit, part of the independent Latin American Anglican Church, based in Caracas — a body with no affiliation to the Church of England or the global Anglican Communion. CSW's Director of Advocacy, Anna Lee Stangl, condemned the treatment he endured and called on Venezuela to end its harassment of religious leaders.
#JylmanJuradoFarfan #Venezuela #ChristianPersecution #ReligiousFreedom #AnglicanChurch #FreedomFromTyranny #ChristianMessenger #ProphecyNews
Tortured for Five Years: Venezuelan Anglican Bishop Freed After Toenails Pulled, Chest Burned by Guards
Venezuela has released Anglican Bishop Dr. Jylman Red Jurado Farfán from Rodeo III Prison in Miranda State after more than five years behind bars — a captivity marked, he says, by brutal torture at the hands of prison guards. He was one of 81 prisoners freed on August 14, according to the UK-based human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
Authorities arrested Bishop Jurado Farfán on July 30, 2021, after summoning him under false pretenses. He had been called in to explain an academic project — a leadership and civic values program — that he had been developing. He was subsequently charged with terrorism, criminal association and conspiracy, with authorities accusing his social ministry work of being an attempt to destabilize the state. Prior to his arrest, the bishop led an active social ministry providing free legal assistance to political prisoners and running community soup kitchens.
The judicial process against him was marred by serious irregularities, including his case file being withheld for nearly ten months, and his trial being suspended after almost two years of hearings without any conclusive evidence presented. Concerns for his welfare heightened this past June, when he reported serious health issues including atypical pneumonia, intercostal neuritis, and gastrointestinal bleeding. During his time in custody, he says guards pulled out his toenails and burned an open wound on his chest with electricity.
Following his release, the bishop offered a statement of gratitude and faith. "My beloved brothers and sisters in the unity of the body of Christ, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, my fraternal hugs; and I bless God for the feeling and the desire that God placed in your hearts so that this liberation would be possible, where the Lord broke the chains of oppression, of fear, of torture, and gave us physical freedom," he said.
Bishop Jurado Farfán serves in the Archdiocese of Venezuela of the Holy Spirit, part of the independent Latin American Anglican Church, based in Caracas — a body with no affiliation to the Church of England or the global Anglican Communion. CSW's Director of Advocacy, Anna Lee Stangl, condemned the treatment he endured and called on Venezuela to end its harassment of religious leaders.
#JylmanJuradoFarfan #Venezuela #ChristianPersecution #ReligiousFreedom #AnglicanChurch #FreedomFromTyranny #ChristianMessenger #ProphecyNews
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