Published at: 19/12/2023 08:28 PM

On a day like today, December 21, 1967, the clandestine newspaper “Pueblo y Revolución” reported that Ignacio Goitía, a veteran union fighter, better known in Punto Fijo (Falcón) as “Pichirilo”, was being held in the public prison of Maracaibo (Zulia). His relatives considered him “missing” and even confirmed his shooting by the Democratic Action (AD) police in the mountains of Churuguara (Falcón).

However, the real story was that Ignacio Goitía had been seriously injured during a guerrilla operation in the Gulf of Venezuela, in March 1963. An explosion ripped off half of his arm. Bleeding and almost dying, he was arrested and taken to the Cumarebo hospital. Once restored, he was transferred to the Cabure prison camp and there he was tortured by a commission of the General Directorate of Police (DIGEPOL), made up of Carlos José Vegas Delgado, Atahualpa Montes and Mario Segundo Leal. Twice he was “shot”. This procedure was practiced by J.J. Patiño González as a special torture practice. It consisted of taking the prisoner to a solitary place and setting up a shooting scene with soldiers armed with rifles or machine guns. “Pray that we are going to shoot you right here.” The prisoner was blindfolded and his hands were held tightly with handcuffs on his back. “Get on your back.” If the prisoner was weak or cowardly, he would fall into tears or despair. These were the moments that the tormentors enjoyed. “Aim and when you count five shoot.” The tension was maximum. The prisoner expected inevitable death. One... two... three... four... five!

Mazo News Team