Brazil prison riot leaves 18 dead
A two-day riot in a north-eastern Brazilian prison ended with 18 inmates dead and a wounded guard, Brazilian authorities reported.
The riot, which started as a protest against the overcrowded jails, erupted on Monday morning when a group of prisoners took a gun from one of the guards and shot another – who was later taken to hospital and is in stable conditions.
The disorder gave way to violent clashes between opposing gangs of inmates. The faction who took control of the prison wing attacked rival gang members, killing 18 prisoners, some of whom were decapitated with their heads thrown out of the windows, according to reconstructions.
Five guards were taken hostage by the rioters. They were released unharmed in the space of 24 hours, during negotiations between inmates and prison authorities.
Aluisio Guimaraes, security secretary for the Maranhao State, told AFP: “Nine bodies were found on Tuesday, after nine others were found during the previous night. All the hostages have been freed.” Mr Guimaraes added that the riot has now died out and calm has been restored.
A subsequent inspection found weapons and ammunitions in the cells.
The section where the riot took place is the high security wing of the Pedrinhas penitentiary complex in Maranhao, Brazil, which houses a total of 240 inmates. The Pedrinhas prison has a capacity of 2,000 inmates, but more than 4,000 are currently detained within its walls.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
Dec 2010
The riot, which started as a protest against the overcrowded jails, erupted on Monday morning when a group of prisoners took a gun from one of the guards and shot another – who was later taken to hospital and is in stable conditions.
The disorder gave way to violent clashes between opposing gangs of inmates. The faction who took control of the prison wing attacked rival gang members, killing 18 prisoners, some of whom were decapitated with their heads thrown out of the windows, according to reconstructions.
Five guards were taken hostage by the rioters. They were released unharmed in the space of 24 hours, during negotiations between inmates and prison authorities.
Aluisio Guimaraes, security secretary for the Maranhao State, told AFP: “Nine bodies were found on Tuesday, after nine others were found during the previous night. All the hostages have been freed.” Mr Guimaraes added that the riot has now died out and calm has been restored.
A subsequent inspection found weapons and ammunitions in the cells.
The section where the riot took place is the high security wing of the Pedrinhas penitentiary complex in Maranhao, Brazil, which houses a total of 240 inmates. The Pedrinhas prison has a capacity of 2,000 inmates, but more than 4,000 are currently detained within its walls.
(Read the full article on The Fresh Outlook)
Dec 2010