At least 41 female prisoners were reportedly slain in a riot on Tuesday in Honduras, a sad tragedy. Some of those who died were shot or stabbed, while about 26 were burned to death. The incident, according to President Xiomara Castro, was prepared by the “mara” street gangs, which rule the prisons, with the knowledge and collaboration of security officials. She threatened to take “drastic measures.” The incident happened at Tamara, which is 50 km northwest of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.
A hospital in Tegucigalpa is reportedly treating about seven prisoners. Videos released by the government, meantime, revealed a large number of firearms as well as a mass of machetes and other sharp-edged weapons that had been found in the riot-scarred prison. The Barrio 18 gang allegedly carried weapons. According to reports, the disturbance was a response to the recent crackdown by authorities on illicit activities and organized crime inside the institutions, according to Julissa Villanueva, the country’s prison system’s director. Villanueva, who has been pushing for jail reform, said, “We won’t back down.” According to reports, the gang members stormed a cell block, shot the prisoners, and then lit them ablaze.
Prisons in Honduras are largely under the influence of organized crime groups
Some prisoners who were supposedly on trial for drug trafficking were housed in the same facility as inmates who had already been found guilty.
According to the family members of some murdered detainees, they had previously been informed that the Barrio 18 gang members were “out of control” and frequently engaged in violence. Prisons in Honduras are largely under the influence of organized crime groups. They enforce their own set of laws while smuggling drugs, firearms, and other illegal items into jails for sale. Joaquin Mejia, a human rights specialist from Honduras, said the episode demonstrates how the government has failed to stop smuggling.
The girls at a refuge for problematic kids in Guatemala destroyed beds in 2017 to protest rapes and mistreatment at the overcrowded facility, killing 41 girls. This was the largest case of deaths at a female correctional facility in Central America. The greatest prison disaster of the century occurred earlier, in 2012 when a fire at the Comayagua penitentiary in Honduras claimed the lives of approximately 361 inmates.
