Salvador Franco

Franco was detained in December 2019 accused of having participated on the 22 December in a barracks assault in Bolívar state. He died on 3 January 2021 due to a lack of medical attention. The indigenous people national coordinator of the NGO Foro Penal declared that Franco had COVID-19 and that for months suffered from gastrointestinal diseases related to the insalubrity of his penitentiary center, informing that he lost a large amount of weight in his last months of life.^[1][2] There was a court order for his transfer to a health center since 21 November 2020, but ultimately it was ignored.^[1][2] The Organization of American States Secretary General, Luis Almagro, condemned Franco's death, naming it as "another crime of the dictatorship" and gave his condolences to his relatives and friends.^[1]

An autopsy concluded that Franco died of tuberculosis and malnourishment.^[3]

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