Acarigua prison riot
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A group of inmates were involved in a
prison riot A prison riot is an act of concerted defiance or disorder by a group of prisoners against the prison administrators, prison officers, or other groups of prisoners. Prison riots have not been the subject of many academic studies or research inqui ...
on 24 May 2019 in the police station cellblocks in
Acarigua Acarigua (), founded as San Miguel de Acarigua, is a city in northwestern Venezuela, in the northern part of the state of Portuguesa (state), Portuguesa. Formerly the state capital, it is a major commercial center for the northern Llanos regio ...
,
Portuguesa state ) , anthem = ''Portuguesa State Anthem, Himno del Estado Portuguesa'' , image_map = Portuguesa in Venezuela.svg , map_alt = , map_caption = Location within Venezuela , pushpin_map ...
,
Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
. The riot allegedly began when inmate Wilfredo Ramos was killed following ten days of protests against the denial of visits by relatives.


Background

Prisons in Venezuela are largely overpopulated; many prisons are supposedly under
gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...
control and subject to violence. However, the prison of this uprising was actually the holding cells of the police headquarters at Centro de Coordinación Policial José Antonio Páez (PoliPáez). A police document accessed by Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that the prison cells were designed to hold 60 prisoners, but actually held about 500. Nobody is meant to be held in the cells for more than 48 hours, but many have been there much longer. Humberto Prado of the
NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones (''English'': Venezuelan Prison Observatory; OVP) told
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...
that for "several days" before the uprising, inmates at PoliPáez had been asking the ombudsman to assure them they wouldn't be transferred to out-of-state prisons where relatives could not visit them; the uprising took place during a relative visit. This move had apparently been planned by the prison to prevent gang wars between inmates. Mariángel Moro, a journalist from Portuguesa, reported that the tensions began on
Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in th ...
, when family was not allowed to visit. Prior to the uprising, videos were recorded by a masked inmate. In them, he asks for a cease in violence and for guards to "stop shooting" before waving weapons and saying he is "willing to die" fighting the guards. The videos were shared on social media after the event by an exiled Venezuelan prosecutor, Zair Mundaray. '' Panorama'' reported that '' Caraota Digital'' named the man in the video as Wilfredo Ramos. Prior to the uprising, Ramos had tried bargaining with the prison services for better conditions at PoliPáez. It is believed Ramos died in the ensuing fight. A police report from 16 May revealed that the prison services and local government were aware of protests and tension breaking out at PoliPáez.


Riots

According to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, Venezuelan news outlet ''
El Pitazo ''El Pitazo'' is an independent Venezuelan multimedia franchise. The name " pitazo" refers to whistleblowing. It is part of the Latin American media Rebel Alliance, with ''Tal Cual'' and Runrunes. They also collaborate with NGOs to be more inform ...
'' reported that the incident began on 14 May. The violence escalated on 23 May, with prisoners taking hostages from the visitors to the center and several troops entering the prison. A Portuguesa state official called it an escape attempt, saying inmates tried to escape through a hole in the wall but began fighting. ''
Efecto Cocuyo Efecto Cocuyo ( en, Firefly Effect) is a Venezuelan journalism outlet devoted to independent media. The website was co-founded in January 2015 by Laura Weffer, former director of Venezuelan newspaper ''Diario 2001'', Luz Mely Reyes, and Josefina ...
'' reports that Wilfredo Ramos Ferrer was known as the leader of the inmates (" pran"), and that the violence began when he was shot by prison officials during the ongoing prison protests at PoliPáez. ''Panorama'' reported that the prisoners began revolting at 5:50 am. ''Efecto Cocuyo'' says that the violence started on 23 May and ended at 10:00 am on 24 May, with prisoners surrendering. The outburst of violence was supposedly in response to guards trying to remove the visitors and carry out searches. It is believed that the group of prisoners was armed. According to ''Panorama'', the first local news was in the early hours of the morning when residents of Acarigua and
Araure Araure () is a town in the Venezuelan state of Portuguesa. This town is the shire town of the Araure Municipality and, according to the 2001 Venezuelan census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating i ...
heard that a prisoner was dead, followed by "six continuous hours of explosions" throughout the morning; Venezuelan journalist Mariángel Moro, based in the area, called it a "morning of terror". Moro confirmed that there had been riots in PoliPáez for over a week, adding that it may stem from the guards often turning away family members trying to visit, a legal right, along with denying the inmates other requests, like construction materials to build a swimming pool. Local police, as well as soldiers of the
National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...
and a specialised prison unit, were quick to attend the scene, helping prison guards quash the uprising. As well as shooting, it was reported that an explosion was heard; it was later announced by authorities that three explosive devices were used, reported as two by the NGO Una Ventana a la Libertad (''English'': A Window to Freedom), with several prison guards wounded by them.


Casualties

At least 29 prisoners were killed by gun fire. It is reported that several bodies had gunshot wounds through the head, and that Wilfredo Ramos Ferrer's body was completely destroyed, with his face also largely disfigured; he was identified by a shoulder
tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...
. Ramos' body was supposedly recovered with a grenade in his right hand, and it is believed he was killed by guards as he prepared to throw the grenade. Nineteen guards were injured.


Response

The information was spread to English-language news agencies through the OVP, who called it a "
massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...
". Prado also blamed Prisons Minister Iris Varela for the deaths of the prisoners. According to
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...
, the official story from Óscar Valero of the local government, describing an escape attempt where rival prison gangs killed each other then harmed the guards trying to intervene, has been questioned by human rights groups. The official source also reports a lower number of inmates than the NGOs, at 355. The Ministry for Prisons in Venezuela did not comment on the uprising, saying that police station cells are not in their jurisdiction. Officers at PoliPáez took many inmates into custody for inciting the uprising, with photographs shared on the internet and in coverage by major newspapers like ''
La Patilla ''La Patilla'' (English: ''The Watermelon'') is a Venezuelan news website that was founded by Alberto Federico Ravell, co-founder and former CEO of Globovisión, in 2010. The website is based in Venezuela and is one of the most visited websites ...
'' showing these prisoners stripped naked and lying in rows on the ground outside. A police report of the inmates at this time counted 540, not including those killed. The police also prevented journalists from covering the incident at the scene. The Venezuelan Prosecutor's Office has confirmed it is investigating the events. In order to perform
autopsies An autopsy (post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of death or to evaluate any d ...
, gowns and scalpels were delivered from Caracas, 200 miles away. ''
El Pitazo ''El Pitazo'' is an independent Venezuelan multimedia franchise. The name " pitazo" refers to whistleblowing. It is part of the Latin American media Rebel Alliance, with ''Tal Cual'' and Runrunes. They also collaborate with NGOs to be more inform ...
'' reported that some autopsies were performed with equipment purchased by relatives of the deceased, before the supplies could arrive from the capital, and that a team of
forensic pathologists Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal p ...
also came with the supplies from Caracas in order to complete the remaining autopsies. The
Venezuelan National Assembly The National Assembly ( es, Asamblea Nacional) is the legislature for Venezuela that was first elected in 2000. It is a unicameral body made up of a variable number of members, who were elected by a "universal, direct, personal, and secret" vo ...
, with an opposition majority, expressed its sympathy and blamed the policies of the leading government. The
Inter-American Commission of Human Rights The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (the IACHR or, in the three other official languages Spanish, French, and Portuguese CIDH, ''Comisión Interamericana de los Derechos Humanos'', ''Commission Interaméricaine des Droits de l'Homme'', ...
(IACHR) condemned the violence in the police station, calling upon the State to "adopt immediate measures to guarantee the life and integrity of detainees", stressing the importance of investigating the events. Amnesty International director Erika Guevara-Rosas blamed the government of Nicolás Maduro as the responsible for the deaths because the inmates were under state custody.


See also

*
2018 Valencia, Venezuela fire On March 28, 2018, a fire broke out during a prison riot in the cells at the Carabobo state police headquarters in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela. The fire killed at least 68 people and injured scores of others. The fire is one of the deadliest in ...
* Guanare prison riot * Overcrowding


References


External links


Ramos video from inside Páez
via ''
El Pitazo ''El Pitazo'' is an independent Venezuelan multimedia franchise. The name " pitazo" refers to whistleblowing. It is part of the Latin American media Rebel Alliance, with ''Tal Cual'' and Runrunes. They also collaborate with NGOs to be more inform ...
'' on YouTube {{Bolivarian Venezuela Crisis 2019 in Venezuela Massacres in Venezuela May 2019 crimes in South America May 2019 events in Venezuela Portuguesa (state) Acarigua Prison uprisings in Venezuela 2019 crimes in Venezuela