A horrific fire which swept through Granja Prison in Comayaguain, Honduras has led to calls from the UN to address overcrowding. Human rights groups have also spoken out against the prison conditions in Honduras. The prison, which was built in the 1940s, was designed to hold 400 people; there were more than 800 inmates when the fire started.
The prison fire is the worst for a century. Unable to escape from their cells, more than 300 prisoners died in the blaze and others were left injured. Other prisoners remain unaccounted for and some are said to have escaped.
There was speculation that the fire was a result of riot but this has been denied. Some reports say that a prisoner may have started the fire which engulfed the overcrowded jail. A full investigation is to be carried out and prison officials have now been suspended.
The disaster highlights the issue of overcrowding in prisons in Honduras. There are 24 prisons in Honduras. They have a capacity to hold 8,000 inmates and at the moment they are holding 13,000, according to Human Rights Watch.
In a news release, Human Rights Watch called for an overhaul in prison overcrowding. José Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch's Americas division, is a general expert on Latin America, said:
“The tragic deaths of hundreds of inmates, one of the worst incidents of its kind in the region, are ultimately the result of overcrowding and poor prison conditions, two longstanding problems in Honduras."
“Given that Honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, authorities have been locking up convicted and suspected criminals, but failing to address the conditions in which they are being held.”
The prison fire is the worst for a century. Unable to escape from their cells, more than 300 prisoners died in the blaze and others were left injured. Other prisoners remain unaccounted for and some are said to have escaped.
There was speculation that the fire was a result of riot but this has been denied. Some reports say that a prisoner may have started the fire which engulfed the overcrowded jail. A full investigation is to be carried out and prison officials have now been suspended.
The disaster highlights the issue of overcrowding in prisons in Honduras. There are 24 prisons in Honduras. They have a capacity to hold 8,000 inmates and at the moment they are holding 13,000, according to Human Rights Watch.
In a news release, Human Rights Watch called for an overhaul in prison overcrowding. José Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch's Americas division, is a general expert on Latin America, said:
“The tragic deaths of hundreds of inmates, one of the worst incidents of its kind in the region, are ultimately the result of overcrowding and poor prison conditions, two longstanding problems in Honduras."
“Given that Honduras has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, authorities have been locking up convicted and suspected criminals, but failing to address the conditions in which they are being held.”
No comments:
Post a Comment