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| Six-Day Prison Riot Ends in Brazil, 4 Dead |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 06/14/2001 |
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Four people died during a tense six-day prison rebellion in southern Brazil in which 22 guards were held hostage, officials said on Tuesday as the rebellion ended. The 23 alleged ringleaders, who had taken control of the 1,370-inmate Piraquara prison to demand their transfer, were shipped to other facilities, said a spokeswoman for the security secretariat in the southern state of Parana. The last nine guards held hostage were released, and police occupied the prison in search of weapons. The rebels surrendered after Justice Minister Jose Gregori pledged they would not be killed, the spokeswoman said. Police had been threatening to storm the prison. The spokeswoman said one guard and three inmates were killed during the revolt. Prisoners said the guard was killed by an inmate as the riot broke out on Wednesday, the spokeswoman added. The three inmates, including the one who killed the guard, were slain by fellow prisoners later the same day, she said. Authorities said the ringleaders claimed to be from a criminal group called the First Command of the Capital, which was responsible for Brazil's biggest-ever prison rebellion in February, when some 20,000 inmates rioted in 29 prisons. Prison rioting and escapes are common in Brazil as are accusations of institutional torture and extreme overcrowding. Piraquara was not extremely crammed, however, by Brazilian standards, with just 50 prisoners more than the capacity. |
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