.jpg "Guards ‘removed’ from Honduras prison block as gang massacres 41 women")
President Xiomara Castro decried Tuesday’s prison riot in Tamara, Honduras, stating that it was “orchestrated by street gangs with the knowledge and consent of security authorities.” Castro promised to take decisive measures to address the situation. However, she failed to address how Barrio 18 gang members managed to bring firearms and machetes into the prison or move freely within the facility to massacre other inmates. Government-released video clips showcased the weapons and tools discovered after the riot.
Sandra Rodríguez Vargas, the assistant commissioner for Honduras’ prison system, revealed that the attackers overpowered the guards at around 8 am on Tuesday, opened the cell block gates, and initiated the slaughter of women inmates. A fire was started, leaving behind charred cell walls and twisted metal bunks. According to Yuri Mora, the spokesperson for Honduras’ national police investigation agency, 26 victims were burned to death, while the others were shot or stabbed. Some injured inmates are currently receiving medical treatment in Tegucigalpa.
This prison riot marks one of the deadliest incidents in a female detention center in Central America since 2017, when girls at a Guatemala shelter set fire to protest mistreatment. The worst prison disaster in Honduras occurred in 2012 at the Comayagua penitentiary, where 361 inmates died in a fire, possibly due to a match or cigarette.
There were clear warnings leading up to Tuesday’s tragedy, according to Johanna Paola Soriano Euceda, who anxiously awaited news about her mother and sister. They had informed her that they were constantly engaging in fights with Barrio 18 members, who were out of control. Another woman, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that her friend in the ill-fated Cell Block One had been threatened by Barrio 18 members and was asked to give up a relative.
Officials attributed the killings to a “terrorist act” but admitted that gangs had significant control over parts of the prison. Julissa Villanueva, head of the prison system, suggested that the riot began as a response to recent crackdowns on illicit activities within prisons. She affirmed that authorities would continue their efforts against organized crime.
Gangs hold substantial influence inside Honduran prisons, where they establish their own rules and engage in illegal activities. The smuggling of weapons has proven to be an ongoing issue. Human rights expert Joaquin Mejia emphasized the need to prevent the smuggling of drugs, grenades, and firearms into prisons, as revealed by the events of the riot.
The process of identifying the bodies, many of which were severely burned, was an agonizing task. Mora confirmed that the forensics teams had counted 41 bodies. Outside the prison, dozens of anxious and angry relatives gathered, desperate for information. The riot may increase pressure on Honduras to adopt the zero-tolerance, no-privileges policies implemented in neighboring El Salvador by President Nayib Bukele. While El Salvador’s approach to combating gangs has brought about human rights violations, it has also gained popularity in a country plagued by gang violence.
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