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Andry Hernández Romero spent more than 120 days in a hellish prison in El Salvador after being deported from the U.S., where he was seeking asylum. Originally from Venezuela, Andry, 32, had fled antigay persecution. Instead of finding the safety he longed for, he was sent to a place critics have called a gulag, where prison authorities told him he'd be condemned for decades to rot. In the U.S., a movement began to rescue Andry.

Last month, Andry was released. Now, he's opening up about what happened to him during his ordeal.

“I want the world to know that being Venezuelan is not a crime,” Hernández Romero told The Advocate in an interview with senior national reporter Christopher Wiggins.

This is Andry's story.

Andry Hernández Romero on surviving CECOT: 'They told us we would die there'

Courtesy Andry Hernández Romero

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