33 inmates killed in new Brazil prison unrest

Brazil was hit yesterday by its second explosion of grisly prison violence this week, as inmates beheaded and mutilated their rivals at a northern jail, leaving at least 33 dead, reports AFP. Pictures taken by a police officer at the scene showed bloodied, mangled bodies piled in a concrete hallway at the Monte Cristo Farm Penitentiary (PAMC) in Roraima state.  Many of the victims were beheaded, disemboweled or dismembered, said officials. The state government said the situation was now "under control."
The latest unrest came days after jailed gang members killed 56 rivals in a 17-hour bloodbath Sunday and Monday at a prison in Manaus, the capital of the neighboring state of Amazonas.
Unlike that incident, Friday's violence did not appear to be an all-out riot but rather a rapid early morning attack by one group of inmates against another, lasting less than an hour, a local government spokeswoman told AFP. Most of the killings were carried out with knives, she said. No firearms have been found inside the prison so far.
It is the latest eruption of violence inside Brazil's overcrowded and underfunded jails. President Michel Temer is facing growing pressure on the issue. On Thursday, he announced the federal government would spend $250 million to build at least one new prison in each of Brazil's 26 states.
Rights activists have long condemned prison conditions in Brazil, where the justice ministry says 50 percent more capacity is needed to handle an inmate population swollen by efforts to crack down on a violent and lucrative drug trade.
PAMC, the largest prison in the state, was also hit by deadly violence in October as fighting between gangs killed 10 inmates.

 

33 inmates killed in new Brazil prison unrest

Brazil was hit yesterday by its second explosion of grisly prison violence this week, as inmates beheaded and mutilated their rivals at a northern jail, leaving at least 33 dead, reports AFP. Pictures taken by a police officer at the scene showed bloodied, mangled bodies piled in a concrete hallway at the Monte Cristo Farm Penitentiary (PAMC) in Roraima state. Many of the victims were beheaded, disemboweled or dismembered, said officials. The state government said the situation was now under control. The latest unrest came days after jailed gang members killed 56 rivals in a 17-hour bloodbath Sunday and Monday at a prison in Manaus, the capital of the neighboring state of Amazonas. Unlike that incident, Fridays violence did not appear to be an all-out riot but rather a rapid early morning attack by one group of inmates against another, lasting less than an hour, a local government spokeswoman told AFP. Most of the killings were carried out with knives, she said. No firearms have been found inside the prison so far. It is the latest eruption of violence inside Brazils overcrowded and underfunded jails. President Michel Temer is facing growing pressure on the issue. On Thursday, he announced the federal government would spend $250 million to build at least one new prison in each of Brazils 26 states. Rights activists have long condemned prison conditions in Brazil, where the justice ministry says 50 percent more capacity is needed to handle an inmate population swollen by efforts to crack down on a violent and lucrative drug trade. PAMC, the largest prison in the state, was also hit by deadly violence in October as fighting between gangs killed 10 inmates.