Iván Simonovis, a former police chief of the Caracas Metropolitan Police who was sentenced to 30 years in prison over the April 2012 coup, on Tuesday went on a hunger strike to reject the court's delay in deciding whether he will be granted humanitarian release due to his poor health condition, a petition filed by his defense lawyers nearly two years ago.

Reading a letter from Simonovis, defense lawyer José Luis Tamayo made the announcement.

Tamayo pointed out that the former police chief was not found guilty of crimes against humanity, as many government officials have claimed.