Támara prison riot
On 20 June 2023, a prison riot broke out in the Women's Center for Social Adaptation, 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. 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. Most victims were burned to death; some were shot. 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.
Aftermath
It was initially announced that at least 41 people died, with authorities warning that the number could increase, and it was later raised to 46 deaths. Seven inmates were being treated at a local Tegucigalpa prison. The part of the prison where the riot started was completely destroyed. 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.
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." On Twitter, she declared a state of emergency and announced that firefighters, police, and military forces would intervene. 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".
References
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