Ecuadorian Governor Confirms Riots in Machala Prison

"Given events presented in the Social Rehabilitation Center of Machala canton, we have activated the action protocols against this type of event. Our priority is to ensure the safety and welfare of SNAI (Service of Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty) and PPL (persons deprived of liberty) officials," the official wrote on his Twitter account without giving details.

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The newspaper El Correo reported that a group of inmates of the Machala Deprivation of Liberty Center took control of the prison in rejection of the transfer of persons deprived of liberty from Turi, in the province of Azuay (south), to the maximum-security jail of La Roca, in Guayas (west).

According to the media, the inmates are holding a prison guide and have placed at least four gas cylinders at the access door to the prison to prevent the Police and the Armed Forces from entering.

The problems in Machala prison occurred one day after the government transferred to La Roca five gang leaders who were allegedly responsible for the massacre that occurred on Sunday in Turi prison and left 20 dead.

Local media reported that the police were outside the Machala prison. At noon on Tuesday, an unusual concentration was seen inside the prison, where bullet shots were heard later on.

ALSO IN OTHER PRISONS

The newspaper El Universo published in its digital edition that there were also incidents in the Cotopaxi prison, in the country's center. It was officially known that there was an attempted riot of 50 inmates, but the situation was already controlled.

According to the media, kitchen and maintenance personnel were evacuated on Tuesday afternoon due to the incidents.

The prisoners allegedly went up to the terraces of the prison. However, they later came down, and four trucks with military personnel and several patrol cars entered the prison.

Photographs of corrections officers apparently being held in the Santo Domingo prison (west) also circulated on social networks, but no authority confirmed or ruled out the fact.

On Monday, Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo anticipated that the transfer of the five inmates from the Cotopaxi prison to La Roca would provoke reactions among criminal organizations and assured that the respective prevention measures were being taken and that the government would maintain a firm hand against criminal gangs.