Inmates at three prisons in Guatemala are holding dozens of guards hostage after what appears to be a coordinated riot. This was announced on Saturday by representatives of the Central American country, reports TASR according to the AP agency.
Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda said he was willing to talk to the prisoners but would not accede to their demands in an effort to secure the release of the 46 guards. The Home Office previously issued a statement saying the inmates’ riot was a direct result of the prison administration’s decision to revoke the privileges of some jailed gang leaders.
“We do not negotiate with terrorists or organized crime in Guatemala,” it is stated in the statement. “We also don’t allow the groups that spread fear to enforce their terms.” Police officers were deployed in the vicinity of the three affected prisons. There were no reports of injuries or deaths.
In October, Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo accepted the resignation of three top security officials, including Villedo’s predecessor, after authorities admitted that 20 gang members had escaped from prison in a matter of days. “The link between the prison system and crime outside it must be broken,” Arévalo said in an interview with AP on Thursday.
