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| Ecuador declares prisons in 'state of emergency' |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 01/19/2004 |
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Ecuadorean President Lucio Gutierrez last Thursday declared the nation's overcrowded prisons to be in a "state of emergency," a move that will mean extra funding for facilities described as "doors to hell" by human rights groups. Gutierrez did not say how much money would be released for the prisons, but experts estimate Ecuador needs $20 million to improve existing facilities and build new ones. The move comes after inmates at two prisons on Monday freed 300 visitors they took hostage for 24 hours to protest the detention of people awaiting trial. About 1,000 of the country's 11,000 inmates have been held in custody in deplorable conditions for at least a year while they await trial. Some have been awaiting a sentence for years. Some prisoners have protested by harming or even crucifying themselves. Prisons in this poor Andean nation are notoriously overpopulated and violent. |
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