More than 44 people died and more than a dozen were injured, after riots broke out Monday at the prison, located north of the city of Santo Domingo, OHCHR Spokesperson Liz Throssell speakquoted the authorities.
The riots are said to have been sparked by the transfer of an inmate known as ‘Anchundia’, linked to the R7 gang, from La Roca prison in the southwest to the facility in Santo Domingo.
‘Disturbing incident’
This marks the latest violence to erupt in prisons in the South American country. Fifteen people were injured in clashes between inmates from different gangs at El Inca prison in the capital Quito on April 25.
Three days earlier, riots at Esmeralda prison No. 2, located on the north coast, left 12 inmates injured.
Throssell told journalists in Geneva: “These disturbing incidents once again highlight the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the criminal justice system, including the penitentiary system to solve the crime. resolve what has been a protracted domestic crisis.”
Call to inquire
She added that between December 2020 and May 2022, at least 390 people were killed in Ecuadorian prisons, including about 20 inmates at a prison in the south of the country.
“We emphasize that the State’s responsibility for the security of all detainees creates the presumption of State responsibility for these deaths and call for a full investigation into the alleged deaths. this case.”
Throssell recounted that in February, the President of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso, introduced a public policy of social rehabilitation for prisoners.
The plan was developed with substantial technical support from OHCHR, and in consultation with a large segment of Ecuadorian society, including the families of the prisoners as well as the prisoners themselves. .
“We encourage the State to take strong steps and provide adequate resources to implement this policy,” she said.
Security Roadmap
OHCHR also called on the Government to carefully consider the recommendations in the 2019 report on human rights in the administration of justice, to reduce violence, death and serious injury in prisons.
Authorities are also encouraged to consider a roadmap proposed by OHCHR and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to ensure security in prisons and ensure better prison management, including by fighting corruption, among other measures.
Throssell said: “The United Nations Office of Human Rights will continue to work with other UN agencies as we are committed to supporting Ecuador in the face of this pressing challenge, based on human rights and accordance with international rules and standards”.
