Nearly 1,000 relatives of inmates are refusing to leave a Venezuelan prison in a protest to demand faster trial for prisoners. Prisons Minister Iris Varela said in Caracas that the relatives decided to "kidnap themselves" at the Yare prison about 70 kilometers southwest of the capital during the New Year holidays. They include 800 women, 150 children, and a few men. Varela said President Hugo Chavez has told authorities to negotiate peacefully.
