Just days after appointing a former Noriega military goon, Luis Donadío, as the director of the prison system, the La Joya prison has been taken over by inmates. Several have escaped, there have been two deaths reported and four people are wounded.
It started as a hunger strike against reduced visiting rights, a measure imposed by minister Raul Mulino. We suspect that normal or even increassed visiting rights could then be bought through his advisor Eduardo Alfaro.
To break the strike, measures were taken varying from forced feeding to placing inmates in pavilions ruled by rivaling gangs. This then sparked further protests and the anti-riot police is unable to control it. The national ombudsman claimed today that what the authorities are doing in the prisons is unconstitutional and violates human rights.
UPDATE: The Noriega goon in charge of the prisons gave in today 20/5 and the old visiting rights will be reestablished. Si se puede.
See a Telemetro report of the riots:
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Prisoners should be treated as human, not inhumane. Authorities have no right to violate because they still have human rights.