Hugo Chávez, “The Fifth Circle of Hell” (2011)

“The standoff at El Rodeo has drawn attention to the conditions of Venezuela’s prisons, which Hugo Chávez, the president, has famously called “the gateway to the fifth circle of hell.” When he was inaugurated in 1999—five years after the end of his own jail stint for leading an attempted coup—22,000 inmates were crammed into prisons built for 17,000. Mr Chávez promised a “humanisation” programme.” — Hugo Chávez, “The fifth circle of hell,” The Economist, July 14, 2011.