Ecuador registers prison rebellion again; at least 15 inmates die

Ecuador recorded again on Monday night (3), already at dawn on Tuesday (4) in Brazil, a rebellion in a prison that resulted in at least 15 deaths of inmates. The episode represents at least the eighth prison massacre in the Latin American country since February 2021 – in all, about 400 people died in these episodes.

The riot took place in a prison in the city of Latacunga, capital of the province of Coropaxi, according to information from the Comprehensive Care Service for Adults Deprived of Liberty (Snai). The place houses 4,300 prisoners and is one of the most important in the country.

The prison had already been the scene of two massacres in the past year, and explosions were heard during Monday. The Armed Forces were called in to help control the rebellion, reinforcing the contingent of 600 agents sent to the scene, and the Secretariat of Human Rights organized a psychological service for family members of the victims of the episode.

SNAI deputy director Jorge Flores said initial reports indicate that Leandro Norero, a detainee known as “El Patrón”, is among the dead. Arrested in May for money laundering in an operation that seized US$ 6.4 million, in addition to firearms and ammunition, he had links to drug trafficking, was wanted in Peru and became one of the leaders in the penitentiary.

According to the GK website, the rebellion began after an orchestrated attack against Norero and six detainees responsible for his security, on the same day he was indicted for drug trafficking. The Interior Ministry raised a warning for further clashes due to the fact that he was murdered.

Coropaxi Governor Oswaldo Coronel said control of the site had already been regained, and Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso sent a message of condolences to the families of the dead – 12 of whom have already been identified. At least 33 people were also injured.

This Tuesday, family members gathered in front of the place in search of information about family members, saying they feared that not everything was pacified in the countryside.

With a capacity of around 30,000 people, Ecuador’s prisons hold 1,900 more inmates and have become battlegrounds in recent years, defying public security and the Lasso government. The episodes involve gangs linked to drug trafficking vying for regional power.

The conflict affects several cities. In Guayaquil, in the southwest, where a large prison complex with 13,100 prisoners is located, the biggest massacres took place last year, with scenes of dismembered and burned bodies being recorded.

In Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, 43 detainees died in May after a riot; just over a month later, in July, there were 13 more deaths in the same place.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has already stated that the penitentiary system in Ecuador is damaged by the abandonment of the State and the absence of a more responsible policy, and also pointed out the precarious conditions for the detainees.

In April, Lasso even declared a state of exception in some provinces of the country as a response to the violence of drug trafficking. The former banker has been in the job for a year and a half.