At least 46 people are dead after gang members started a prison riot at a women’s facility in Honduras on Tuesday.
Most of the victims burned to death while some others were shot, according to Reuters. Honduran President Xiomara Castro tweeted after the tragedy that gang members planned the riot, but that the prison guards had knowledge of it as well.
Conmocionada monstruoso asesinato de mujeres en CEFAS, planificado por maras a vista y paciencia de autoridades de seguridad. Mi solidaridad con familiares. Convoco a rendir cuentas al Ministro de Seguridad y la presidenta de la Comisión Interventora. ¡Tomaré medidas drásticas !
— Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) June 20, 2023
Castro promised to take “drastic measures” in response to the event. The death toll had been reported lower but was revised upward by the public prosecutor’s office on Wednesday. (RELATED: Judge Rules Ex-President Of Honduras Should Be Extradited To US Over Drug Charges)
Julissa Villanueva, head of the Honduran penal system, said Tuesday that the riot was likely a response to a recent government crackdown on corruption within the prison system. Castro’s office said Wednesday that new measures would be announced to combat the scourge of organized crime in Honduras after the riot.
Honduras has taken some steps to follow the criminal justice measures of one of its regional neighbors, El Salvador, which has reduced crime substantially under President Nayib Bukele. Bukele’s government suspended due process and cracked down harshly on criminal activity in El Salvador, jailing so many people that about 2% of the country’s population is now in prison for some form of crime.