July 23, 2021 19:47 PM
Ecuadorian prison security staff
[China News Service]News from Quito: On the evening of the 21st local time, riots broke out in the two largest prisons in Ecuador. At least 22 prisoners have been killed and more than 40 injured.
Ecuador’s Prison Administration issued a statement on the 22nd, stating that the two prisons where the riots occurred were located in Guayas and Cotopaxi provinces in the country. According to local media reports, the riots were triggered by gang fights among prisoners in the prison. A few hours after the riots, prison administrators and the police joined forces to regain control of the situation.
According to the Associated Press, after a riot in a prison in Cotopaxi, the police successfully captured 78 prisoners who attempted to escape.
President Russo declared a state of emergency in the national prison system on the 22nd, and at the same time has appointed a new head of the prison administration. Russo said: “We will use all legal powers to enforce the rule of law in Ecuadorian prisons to guarantee peace and human rights.”
In February of this year, large-scale riots broke out in three prisons in the country and at least 79 prisoners died. In June, a gang fight in a prison caused another two deaths and dozens of injuries.
Ecuador’s prison system has long faced problems such as overcrowding of prisoners and shortage of management personnel. There are many gangs in the prison, and there are endless violent incidents. The police even enter the prison only in emergency situations. According to relevant statistics, there were 103 murders in the country’s prisons in 2020.
.