New massacre in a prison in Ecuador: at least 20 dead and 5 maimed

A new bloodbath was taken in one of Ecuador's prisons. The early morning of last Sunday, the No. 1 Deprivation of Liberty Center, known as Turi Prison, was the epicenter of shooting, killing and beheading. The latest official information details the result of the massacre there are 20 dead prisoners, five multilads and five seriously injured. However, it is believed that the number of victims could be higher.

Since the shooting began, dozens of relatives of prisoners serving their sentences in Turi went to the outside of the prison to get answers about the state of theirs. The families spent more than 15 consecutive hours at the site until the first official information about the deceased began to be known.

As in the prison massacres last year, unofficial sources have confirmed that Turi's mutiny was already known to take place a week ago. From 4:00 on Sunday, the authorities set up a unified command post to deploy actions that allow them to control violence inside the prison. Even the Air Force moved more uniformed personnel to support the 800 police and military who were in prison. Turi prison is in charge of one of the country's megabands: Los Lobos.

Los Lobos are the second largest megaband in Ecuador. It is estimated that 8,000 prisoners join the gang. In the prison of Turi, Los Lobos command the prison of 1,600 inmates.

The violence inside the prison occurred, according to Interior Minister Patricio Carrillo, because there was a rebellion against “one of the criminal cells”, which he preferred not to identify, but which would be Los Lobos, who would have faced smaller gangs inside the prison. Authorities say there is a power struggle in Turi prison. Versions from other unofficial sources indicate that maximum security prisoners do not agree to a possible transfer, and therefore they have started clashes between the maximum and minimum security wards. Carrillo also reported that, thanks to the use of drones, prisoners were found to carry war rifles.

The IACHR, in its most recent report on Ecuadorian prisons, has already warned that the prison system is undergoing corruption and is controlled by criminal gangs. For reasons such as these, the entry of high-caliber weapons into prisons is facilitated.

Prison violence also affects prisoners who do not belong to any gang or who try to stay out of the conflict. On Sunday afternoon, a harrowing scene was observed in Turi. Several prisoners climbed onto the roofs of the prison with white cloths, which waved like flags. They were asking for help. The police dispersed them by throwing tear gas at them, while the families begged for “something to be done”. According to some journalistic reports, since the beginning of the mutiny, the prayers of the prisoners did not stop: “Lord, please help us, save us Lord Jesus Christ”, some of them were heard. Others said: “Help, my Sub (as is commonly called uniformed)! We're not going to run away. We want to save our lives.”

On the night of April 3, almost 24 hours after the clashes began, Minister Carrillo announced that “the Center for Deprivation is under control” and announced that they isolated about 90 people who were in the wards involved in the violent acts. The minister also assured that the National Police will carry out searches to “clean” the prison of weapons or other illegal devices. “In such a way that we deliver a center in better condition and that has the necessary reinforcements within the first 48 hours, so that it is better managed and completely free of weapons,” Carrillo said.

The Secretary of Human Rights, Bernarda Ordóñez, has assured that psychological help will be given to the families of the prisoners who were victims of the massacre from the State portfolio she directs. In addition, Ordóñez has announced that the State will donate coffins for murdered prisoners and will cover all costs of autopsies and other legal protocols.

Bloodbaths in prisons have already killed more than 315 prisoners in 2021. The authorities say that violence is generated by power struggles between criminal gangs that control prisons and that are related to drug trafficking. At the same time, violence on the streets has doubled in the first months of 2022, as have drug seizures. Security and rehabilitation of the penitentiary system are a focal point for the administration of Guillermo Lasso, who will be in power for one year in May.

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