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Paraguay: six inmates die in a riot in Paraguay's main prison
Paraguayan Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday reported that six inmates died during a riot in Asuncion's Tacumbu prison, as they demanded equal rights with the rest of the country's penitentiaries.
“Local authorities are identifying the bodies,” Prosecutor Giovanni Grisetti explained, adding that no injured people are reported.
The Prosecutor’s Office does not rule out that there may be other deaths at Tacumbu, which is considered one of the country’s most dangerous and densely populated prisons.
The riot, which began at 16h00 and ended at 22h00, took place to ask for explanations about why an inmate was transferred to another prison.
“That inmate was moved to another center due to the risks of escaping,” Justice Minister Cecilia Perez explained after meeting with the riot leaders.
“The situation is already under control. We assured them they would have better living conditions, and they gave their word that there will be no more reprisals,” she added.
Riots and escape attempts are frequent in Paraguay’s overcrowded prisons. Although the Tacumbu prison was built to house only 800 inmates, it holds at least 3,000 people, many of whom sleep in cramped cells or corridors.