This year, 265 prisoners have been assassinated nationwide; last year the figure closed in 103 cases.
Nationwide, 265 prisoners have been murdered in prisons this year, a high figure that already exceeds the deaths of 2020. Last year the figure closed at 103 cases, according to the Public Defender’s Office.
In prisons such as the Litoral Penitentiary, shootings have become recurrent. During this semester, the Forensic Medicine cars have entered the prison compound several times.
The Commission for Sovereignty and Integral Security of the National Assembly presented a report in which it indicates that in the period between 2016 and 2021, the Ecuadorian State disregarded international standards and compliance with the minimum rules for the treatment of persons deprived of Liberty.
This report was requested weeks ago by the Alliance of Human Rights Organizations after the latest massacres in prisons.
In one of the points, it is mentioned that the State did not act with due diligence to guarantee the protection of life and personal integrity within the prisons, in particular in the face of the acts of violence and the prison massacres of 2019, 2020 and 2021, despite knowledge of risk conditions
Mention is also made of the lack of timely care for vulnerable groups, particularly pregnant women, children who live inside the centers with their mothers, the elderly, people with disabilities and people with catastrophic illnesses.
Regarding the separation of inmates, access to timely and efficient justice, the slow speed that has occurred in recent years also stands out.
The report also indicates that those responsible for these conditions are officials from the Ministry of Justice, the National Secretariat for Human Rights; the members of the board of the Technical Organism for Social Rehabilitation; directors of the National Service for Comprehensive Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders and the Council of the Judiciary.
The information obtained by the Commission also makes it possible to analyze that since 2016 there has been a progressive reduction in the budget for social rehabilitation, which has deepened the situation that is currently in crisis in the prison system.
Shootings in the Penitentiary
Between Sunday and Monday there were several shootings in the Penitentiary. Two inmates died and a third was injured, said Bolívar Garzón, director of the SNAI, who arrived in Guayaquil to participate in a mega-operation in that prison. Six pavilions were searched and cell phones, money, drugs and knives were found, but no firearms.
Garzón said that in the next few days they will implement a plan to improve security in prisons. In addition, he mentioned that the cellular signal in the prison facility depends on the operators, that in the Penitentiary there are no inhibitors. (I)
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
