13 detainees killed after new brawl in Ecuador prison
13 inmates died in Ecuador on Monday after clashes in Bellavista prison, where 44 prisoners had already perished in May.
Clashes, often extremely violent, are recurrent in Ecuadorian prisons.
AFP
Thirteen inmates lost their lives Monday in clashes in a prison in Ecuador, an episode described as “barbarism” by the authorities and recurrent in this South American country.
Staff at Bellavista prison, in the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, about 80 km west of Quito, “reported 13 inmate deaths and 2 injuries,” SNAI tweeted. The SNAI added that it had “taken back control” of this prison, “with the support of the police and the army”.
The prosecutor’s office indicated in turn that it “is proceeding with the removal of the corpses” and is investigating in this prison. Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo said at a press conference that “most” of the victims were of Venezuelan nationality.
Recurring clashes
Some journalists and media have argued that the confrontation between prisoners resulted in decapitated and dismembered bodies, as has happened in other massacres inside various Ecuadorian prisons since 2021, with nearly 400 dead.
Patricio Carrillo said that “this very primitive de facto act of barbarism demonstrates the psychological profile of many people who are there or who have at least been involved in this type of incident”. He added that thirteen bodies had been taken away, that a “total inspection” of the penitentiary center was in progress and that it was “quite probable” that other corpses would be discovered.
It is already in this establishment that 44 prisoners had perished in May during clashes between rival gangs. During this revolt, 220 prisoners escaped. Almost all have been taken over.
Rival drug gangs
Clashes, often extremely violent, are recurrent in Ecuadorian prisons. According to the government, rival gangs of drug traffickers, infiltrated or controlled by Mexican cartels, are waging an all-out war for control of overcrowded prisons, a war that authorities have so far been powerless to stem.
In 2021, Ecuador seized a record 210 tons of drugs, mostly cocaine. For 2022, seizures to date have reached around 70 tons. Bordered by Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest cocaine producers, Ecuador serves as a port of departure for illicit shipments, mainly to the United States and Europe.
Ecuadorian prisons, with a capacity of some 30,000 people, are currently overcrowded by nearly 9% compared to 30% two years ago. Ecuador is facing a wave of violence linked to drug trafficking. Last year, the nation of 17.7 million people recorded a rate of 14 murders per 100,000 people, nearly double that of 2020.
Posted today at 01:41
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