MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

One inmate dies in yet another prison riot in Ecuador

Human rights groups have described Ecuador's penitentiary crisis as a “prison genocide”

At least one inmate was killed and two others were injured Monday in yet a new prison riot in Ecuador, the National Service of Integral Attention to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Adolescent Offenders (SNAI) reported.

The riot occurred at the Guayas Prison also known as Penitenciaría del Litoral, in Guayaquil, due to clashes between inmates belonging to different organized crime gangs linked to drug trafficking, who were fighting for control of the facility, SNAI said on social media.

Confrontation broke out Monday afternoon, after which the usual protocols were activated and police riot squads were summoned with help from the Armed Forces and the participation of Health Ministry and Human Rights Secretariat authorities.

It was the second riot this month in the same prison after the one on Oct. 5 left 13 inmates dead and 22 people wounded (16 inmates and 6 law enforcement officers).

So far this year, over 100 inmates have been killed in Ecuadorian prison rioting, and more than 450 since 2020.

Reports from Ecuador mention a gunfight and the detonation of at least one explosive device during the riots.

The Oct. 3 brawl between inmates at Cotopaxi Number 1 prison left 16 dead and 43 wounded. On Oct. 8, two inmates were found dead in a prison in the coastal province of Esmeraldas.

Human rights groups have described Ecuador's penitentiary crisis as a “prison genocide” due to the alleged lack of action by the State to prevent recurrent massacres.

Authorities have pledged to abide by the recommendations stemming from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).