41 women burned to death, shot, stabbed in Honduras prison
In a horrific tragedy in Honduras, at least 41 women inmates were reportedly killed in a prison riot on Tuesday. Around 26 of those deceased were burned to death, while others were shot or stabbed. President Xiomara Castro claimed the riot was planned by the "mara" street gangs—which dominate the prisons—with the knowledge and complicity of security authorities and vowed to take "drastic measures."
Barrio 18 gang members carried out riot: Reports
The incident took place in Tamara, 50km northwest of the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa. Around seven inmates are reportedly undergoing treatment at a hospital in Tegucigalpa. Meanwhile, videos shared by the government showed many pistols and a heap of machetes and other sharp-edged weapons recovered in the said prison after the riot. The members of the Barrio 18 gang allegedly carried out the riot.
Shocked, will take drastic measures: President
Riot was reaction to crackdown: Prison system head
The head of the country's prison system, Julissa Villanueva, reportedly said the riot was a reaction to the recent crackdown by authorities on illegal activities and organized crime inside the prisons. "We will not back down," said Villanueva, who has been pressing for prison reform.
Under-trial inmates kept along with convicted ones
Reportedly, the gang members barged into a cell block, shot the inmates, and set them on fire. Some inmates, who were reportedly on trial for drug trafficking, were kept in the same area as convicted prisoners. The family members of some deceased inmates said they were told earlier that the Barrio 18 gang members were "out of control" and fighting quite often, reported AP.
Gangs smuggle drugs, arms inside prisons
Organized criminal gangs hold significant control inside Honduran prisons. They smuggle drugs, weapons, and other prohibited goods inside prisons for sale and enforce their own set of rules. Honduran human rights expert Joaquin Mejia said the incident shows the authorities have failed to prevent smuggling.
Worst incident of prison deaths since 2017
This came as the worst incident of deaths at a female detention center in Central America after 2017 when girls at a shelter for troubled youth in Guatemala torched mattresses to protest rapes and mistreatment at the overcrowded facility, killing 41 girls. Earlier, in 2012, around 361 prison inmates died in a fire at Comayagua penitentiary in Honduras in the century's worst prison disaster.
