Utah man describes 'nightmare' conditions in Venezuela jail

A Utah man being held in Venezuela on weapons charges described living a "horrible nightmare" of police harassment and recurrent illnesses in his first communication from jail.

"It feels like the pressure of the world is weighing down upon my chest. My heart feels like it is swollen and about to burst," Joshua Holt wrote in a handwritten letter made public Tuesday by his mother. "Since I arrived at this horrible place where demons stroll the hallways ... my life has been in utter destruction."

Holt was arrested nearly two months ago when police said they found an assault rifle during a raid on the public housing complex in Caracas where he was staying with his Venezuelan bride. The two met on the internet when Holt wanted to practice the Spanish he had picked up as a Mormon missionary in a Latino community in Washington state. He flew to Venezuela to marry the woman and wait for a U.S. visa so they could start their life together near Salt Lake City.

But last month, Venezuelan Interior Minister Gustavo Gonzalez referred to Holt as "the gringo" and alleged the 24-year-old was a trained gunman linked to unspecified attempts by the U.S. to undermine President Nicolas Maduro's rule during a period of deep economic and political turbulence in the socialist South American country.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/utah-man-describes-harsh-conditions-venezuela-jail-184606428.html