Támara prison riot

On 20 June 2023, a prison riot broke out in the Women's Center for Social Adaptation,[a] a women's prison located in Támara, Honduras. The riot is suspected to be the result of a conflict between members of the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs. Forty-six people were killed, most from a fire that occurred amid the chaos. The precise circumstances surrounding the incident are currently being investigated.

Riot

According to Delma Ordóñez, the president of an association for prisoners' families, a brawl broke out between members of rival gangs Barrio 18 and MS-13.[9][10] An injured inmate stated that members of Barrio 18 burst into a cell block and opened fire on other inmates or set them on fire.[11] Most victims were burned to death; some were shot.[12] Images released by local media showed black smoke billowing out of a prison. Public Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Yuri Mora stated that the government could not confirm specifics regarding the incident at the moment.[2]

Aftermath

It was initially announced that at least 41 people died, with authorities warning that the number could increase,[4][13] and it was later raised to 46 deaths.[14] Seven inmates were being treated at a local Tegucigalpa prison.[11] The part of the prison where the riot started was completely destroyed.[15] It was the deadliest incident in a female detention center in Central America since 2017, when girls at an orphanage in Guatemala set ablaze mattresses to protest rapes and general maltreatment, resulting in a fire that killed 41 of them.[6]

Julissa Villanueva, the head of the Honduran prison system, suggested that the riots started due to recent clampdowns on illicit activity inside the country's prisons. In a televised address following the riot, she said "we will not back down."[9] On Twitter, she declared a state of emergency and announced that firefighters, police, and military forces would intervene.[3] Xiomara Castro, president of Honduras, accused prison security and law enforcement of being complacent and even acquiescing to the rioters, saying on social media that she would "take drastic measures".[1][11]