Ecuador's government says prisons under police, military control after deadly riot

Ecuador's government said on Sunday it has been able to regain control of a prison where 118 people were killed in rioting this week and that other jails in the Andean country are under the supervision of the police and the military.

Successive military and police operations, with some 3,600 personnel, have taken place since violence - the worst prison rioting in the country's history - broke out at the Penitenciaria del Litoral in Guayaquil on Tuesday.

Ecuador is suffering a wave of violence at its prisons, which house some 39,000 people. Prison violence also killed 79 people in February and 22 in July.

President Guillermo Lasso declared a state of emergency for the country's prison system on Wednesday, freeing up resources and personnel to address the violence.

“On the basis of the state of emergency, which allows the police and armed forces to be inside the penitentiary, we have been able to control the violence,” said police commander Tannya Varela, in comments on social media.

Some 1,000 police personnel participated in a Saturday operation at another jail in Guayaquil and said they were shot at by prisoners, adding at least four prisoners were injured in clashes between detainees.

Varela said guns, grenades, knives, munitions, cellphones and drugs were all confiscated after police entered.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has previously condemned the violence and Human Rights Watch has urged Ecuador's government to fully investigate the prison violence and bring those responsible to justice.

Interior Minister Alexandra Vela blamed leadership and territorial battles between drug gangs for the violence.

Vela asked judicial authorities to speed investigation for the violence and punish those responsible for the deaths.

“Those responsible for the massacre at the Penitenciaria del Litoral must be investigated and sanctioned,” Vela said.

On Friday, Ecuador announced it is planning to pardon up to 2,000 inmates to relieve overcrowding at its detention centres. The government said it aims to prioritise the elderly, women, and prisoners with disabilities and terminal illnesses in the wake of the clashes.

Reuters