46 inmates feared killed, 60 others injured during violent prison riot in Venezuela

Tragedy struck in the western Venezuelan state of Portuguesa when a violent prison riot left no fewer than 46 inmates dead and 60 injured, following a ban on inmates’ family members bringing them food during visitation.

46 bodies have thus far been identified after the incident on Friday at the Los Llanos penitentiary, so says Beatriz Giron, director of the Venezuelan Observatory of Prisons which advocates for inmates’ rights.

While speaking with local newspaper Ultimas Noticias on Saturday, the country’s prisons minister, Iris Varela, said that the incident resulted from an escape attempt and that the prison director had been shot and wounded.

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However, Maria Beatriz Martinez, an opposition lawmaker from Portuguesa, said the riot followed a ban on inmates’ family members bringing them food during visitation, which is common in Venezuelan prisons.

The visitation restrictions are part of the country’s effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in its overcrowded prisons.

The South American country’s prisons are infamous for extreme levels of violence and poor conditions.

To date, Venezuela has confirmed 335 coronavirus cases and 10 deaths associated with COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the pathogen.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has called for an immediate investigation into the fatal prison riot.

The UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on Twitter that it is “gravely concerned” about the incident on Friday at the Los Llanos penitentiary in Portuguesa state.

“We urge the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, tackle overcrowding, and guarantee basic rights,” the office said on Sunday.

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