Ecuador President says country is at war as gangs hold prison staff hostage
Quito, EcaudorReuters Ecuador President Daniel Noboa said on Wednesday that his country was “at war” with drug gangs who are holding more than 130 prison guards and other staff hostage, amid a dramatic surge in violence that saw gunmen briefly take over a TV live broadcast and explosions in multiple cities. Noboa on Tuesday named […]
Ecuador declares state of emergency amid prison chaos
Quito, Ecuador Reuters Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa on Monday declared a state of emergency for 60 days a day after the country’s most-wanted prisoner disappeared from the jail where he was being held. The state of emergency and surrounding events are among the first big security tests for Noboa, a young businessman who took office […]
Relatives of jailed Salvadorans say “mass trials” unconstitutional
San Salvador, El Salvador Reuters Dozens of relatives of prisoners jailed in El Salvador during a state of emergency called on Thursday on the Supreme Court to rule unconstitutional upcoming “mass trials” of suspected gang members. El Salvador’s Congress, controlled by President Nayib Bukele’s ruling party, approved special emergency provisions in July that allow people […]
US jail practices are racist and an “affront to human dignity” – UN experts
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters UN human rights experts have called for major reforms of the US criminal justice system to combat systemic racism, citing testimonies that jailed Black women had been shackled during childbirth while male inmates were forced to work in “plantation-style” conditions. In a report published on Thursday, three UN-appointed experts said they had […]
Ecuador declares state of emergency amid violent clashes
Quito, EcuadorReuters Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso on Monday declared a state of emergency and night curfews in three coastal provinces, amid a wave of violence over the weekend in the Andean country that left at least eight people dead. Lasso declared the state of emergency in the provinces of Manabi and Los Rios and in […]
Nearly a sixth of Ecuador’s prisoners held without sentence – census
Quito, EcuadorReuters Nearly a sixth of the inmates in Ecuador’s prisons have not been sentenced, a national census showed on Monday, as President Guillermo Lasso urged the judicial system to be speedier to help ease the burden on overcrowded jails. People gather outside the Penitenciaria del Litoral prison after a riot, in Guayaquil, Ecuador, on […]
El Salvador vows gang crackdown will go on as citizens cheer safer streets
San Salvador Reuters El Salvador’s state of emergency to combat gangs, which has widespread public support despite a growing prison population and allegations of human rights abuses, will be maintained until all criminals are captured, the country’s security minister told Reuters. Since President Nayib Bukele asked the country’s congress to approve a state of exception […]
Gang control of Ecuador’s prisons leave inmates’ families terrified
Quito/Guayaquil, Ecuador Reuters Gangs operating inside Ecuador’s prisons are taking advantage of state abandonment to expand their power, extorting inmates for access to services and threatening their lives with violence, prisoners’ families and human rights groups say. The prison system in the South American country has faced structural problems for decades, but jail violence has […]
Wow!: Pages for pardons? In Bolivia, inmates can cut jail time by reading
MONICA MACHICAO, of Reuters, reports on an innovative initiative inside Bolivia’s prisons…
A window into life behind bars: Smuggled sketches offer glimpses into harsh Myanmar prison
Images smuggled out of Myanmar’s Insein Prison and interviews with eight former prisoners have given Reuters a rare glimpse inside the notorious institution…