National Assembly prepares debate on the situation of the country’s prisons

Debates, requests for resignations of officials and appearances are the responses from the National Assembly to the prison crisis. Most of the legislative benches speak of omission by the Government and lack of a timely response in the control of the Litoral Penitentiary to prevent the new third massacre – so far this year – of people deprived of liberty.

Between last Friday and Saturday, at least 62 prisoners were murdered in the Litoral Penitentiary, and the number of wounded exceeds the number of 40 people.

The number of injured during the massacre at the Litoral Penitentiary rises to 44; 2 are in critical condition

The Union for Hope (UNES) bench demands the resignation of five government officials who, in their opinion, have responsibility for handling the prison crisis.

The correista bloc, through legislator Ronny Aleaga, requested the immediate resignation of the Minister of Government, Alexandra Vela Puga; the general commander of the National Police, Tannya Varela; the Secretary for Human Rights, Bernarda Ordóñez; the governor of Guayas, Pablo Arosemena; and the director of the Penitentiary, Carlos Az Armas.

Government Minister, Alexandra Vela, and Police Commander, Tannya Varela, participated in an operation that is being carried out in the Litoral Penitentiary

This political sector asked the Armed Forces and the National Police to intervene and take control of the prisons with unrestricted respect for human rights, that the State guarantee the right to life of persons deprived of liberty and that they should think about pardons for persons who have committed minor offenses.

Aleaga also asked the President of the Assembly, Guadalupe Llori, to order the appearance before the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly of the Minister of Government, Alexandra Vela; Bolívar Garzón, director of the SNAI; Bernarda Ordóñez, Secretary of Human Rights; Tannya Varela, general commander of the National Police, to answer for the acts that took place in the Litoral Penitentiary.

Debates

Next Wednesday the plenary session of the National Assembly is summoned at 10:00 to know the report made by the Commission of Sovereignty and Integral Security on the prisons, which collects the facts about how the country arrived at this crisis and determines the responsibilities .

Report of the Assembly says that in the last 5 years in Ecuador minimum rules of treatment of prisoners were not respected

In that report, according to the coordinator of the National Agreement Bank (BAN), Juan Fernando Flores, all the information on the relevance and responsibility of previous governments regarding the lack of actions and decisions that had to be taken to avoid a crisis of the system.

Flores commented that the Government holds meetings with the representatives of the different functions of the State to make decisions in the face of the prison crisis and that they will be made known to the country. That the Government is open to the supervision of the processes carried out on this issue, he noted.

Mario Ruiz Jácome, from the Pachakutik bench, commented that it is the national government that has to respond to this crisis in prisons. That it owes many answers to the country on issues such as the classification of prisoners and why the National Police cannot enter the rehabilitation centers.

In the last massacre, what is recorded is omission on the part of the regime, insisted Ruiz, who commented that since 18:00 the previous Friday help was requested from the prisons, but it was not acted on in a timely manner. He is in favor of supervising the destination of State resources that were issued, during a state of emergency, to face the crisis.

Johanna Moreira, from the Democratic Left, lamented the loss of people in the midst of a massacre in prisons, where the direct and indirect perpetrators must be determined.

The legislator of El Oro called on the government to begin to take charge of the real problems that the country has and spoke in favor of changes in the commanders that handle the prison issue.

Esteban Torres, from the PSC bloc, said that the prison issue must be handled with prudence, caution and without politicking of any kind. That one may not tolerate, but understand that there is a first mutiny and massacre in prisons; it can be understood that there is a second; but no longer a third party, and the latter is already the responsibility of the current government, he said.

He said that it is not explained how a transmission on social networks is made from the jail that they were stinging the walls, and for four hours, until the massacre occurs, the National Police and those in charge of the prisons do absolutely nothing. (I)