International
Ecuador bloodbath: Deadly unrest in Latin America’s jails
AFP
At least 118 inmates died in rioting in an Ecuador jail this week before police regained control Thursday. Following the latest carnage, here is a look at the deadliest clashes in recent years in Latin America’s notoriously overcrowded prisons.
– Deadliest –
Over the past three decades, there have been several massive prison riots that left more than 100 inmates dead.
In 2005, a fire ripped through an overcrowded prison in the Dominican Republic’s eastern city of Higuey after a dawn riot, leaving at least 135 people dead.
In 1994, 121 inmates were killed after prisoners set fire to three prison blocks during a riot at Sabaneta prison in Venezuela’s northern city of Maracaibo.
In 1992 in Brazil, 111 prisoners were killed when security forces put down a riot at the enormous Carandiru jail outside Sao Paulo.
The massacre was later portrayed in an acclaimed 2003 film, “Carandiru.”
– Ecuador’s ‘war’ –
Tuesday’s bloodshed in Guayaquil is believed to be linked to a “war” between Mexican drug gangs. It is the fifth major incident in the port city’s prison in just over a year.
In all, some 200 inmates have died in violence in Ecuador’s jails so far this year as they have become a battleground for thousands of prisoners with ties to powerful Mexican cartels.
More than 100 died in clashes last year — with many beheaded — with corruption allowing inmates to smuggle in arms and ammunition.
Ecuador’s prison system has 65 facilities designed for about 30,000 inmates but a population of 39,000, watched over by 1,500 guards — a shortfall of about 2,500, according to experts.
– Bloody Brazil –
Deadly riots are frequent in Brazil’s overcrowded prisons, which roughly hold twice the number of inmates they were built for.
With more than 702,000 prisoners, Brazil has the world’s third largest prison population after China and the United States.
In late May 2019, at least 55 prisoners were killed in several jails over two days in the northwestern state of Amazonas.
Two months later 57 died in a battle between rival gangs in a prison in Altamira in northern Brazil.
On April 11, 2018, at least 21 died in an attempted breakout from a prison near the northern city of Belem.
In early 2017, deadly riots left around 100 prisoners dead in the space of a month — many were decapitated and even disemboweled.
– Venezuela –
Venezuela also has a long and bloody history of prison unrest, almost matching Brazil’s grisly record of 756 deaths since 1992.
In May 2020, 47 prisoners died after a riot sparked by food shortages in a jail in the western city of Guanare.
In May 2019, at least 29 prisoners were killed in clashes at a jail in the western town of Acarigua.
March 28, 2018 saw one of the worst prison riots in Venezuela, with 68 people dying in a blaze in a police station jail in the northern city of Valencia.
In August 2017, 37 were killed in a jailhouse in the southern Venezuelan state of Amazonas.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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