Ecuador Declares State of Emergency in Prison after 116 Killed in Riot
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Bloody clashes in Ecuador's Litoral Prison, and President Guillermo Lasso regrets that criminal groups are turning prisons into battlegrounds.
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Inmates' family members waiting outside the Penitenciaria del Litoral jail
Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso announced on Wednesday evening a state of emergency in all prisons following an armed riot in a coastal prison that resulted in the deaths of at least 116 people and the injury of 80 in Guayas Province, southwest of the country.
The President announced on Twitter that he was declaring "a state of exception" in the country's prison system, adding that he will preside over the security committee to control the situation.
Acabo de decretar el Estado de Excepción en todo el sistema carcelario a nivel nacional.
— Guillermo Lasso (@LassoGuillermo) September 29, 2021
En Guayaquil presidiré el comité de seguridad para coordinar las acciones necesarias que controlen la emergencia, garantizando los DDHH de todos los involucrados. pic.twitter.com/2gdZ0pLlZW
He told reporters that it was regrettable that prisons "are being turned into territories for power disputes by criminal gangs,” promising that the government will provide aid to the casualties' families.
The death toll from a riot at one of Ecuador's largest prisons rose to 116, President Guillermo Lasso said on Wednesday. " It is unfortunate that criminal groups are attempting to convert prisons into a battleground for power disputes," Lasso told reporters in Guayaquil. pic.twitter.com/HyvOwbjH93
— hurriyatpk (@hurriyatpk1) September 30, 2021
Another 80 prisoners were injured in the clashes that took place on Tuesday in Guayas Province's Penitenciaria del Litoral, which has in the past few months witnessed bloody clashes between gangs for the prison's leadership.
Ecuador's District Attorney said earlier on Wednesday that 6 of the prisoners were decapitated. The country's prison service said authorities were able to regain authority over the facility in the afternoon, with police being deployed inside the prison and military officers deployed to guard the building's exterior.
Riots have taken place before in Ecuador's prison system, which houses close to 39 thousand inmates, in February and July. 79 inmates were killed in February's riots and 22 in July's.
Dozens of civilians showed up to the prison to request information on their families, demanding that those responsible be held accountable.
