Riot investigation in Paraguay

(CNN Spanish) — The Ministry of Justice of Paraguay announced that it has opened an internal investigation and collaborates with the investigations of the Public Ministry and the National Police of Paraguay after the incidents in the Concepción regional penitentiary, in the east of the country, which left one dead and several wounded, according to an official statement published on its website.

Some inmates located in pavilion F took “part of the corridors of the penitentiary establishment, apparently as a diversionary strategy that allows the escape of a group of people deprived of their liberty involved in punishable acts that occurred in the city of Pedro Juan Caballero,” according to the report presented by prison director Donofredo Torres, citing the Paraguayan Ministry of Justice.

The detainees “tried to run over the main gate, but were repelled by prison officers, accompanied by military personnel and police personnel who were guarding the perimeter of the prison. Among the rioting inmates, there were people who had firearms, one of whom was killed” with a history of aggravated robbery, according to the official communication from the Ministry of Justice. In addition, during the incident, two inmates and three prison officers were slightly injured.

The Minister of Justice, Édgar Olmedo Silva, announced the opening of an internal investigation, “because it was found that persons deprived of liberty had in their possession numerous objects that are prohibited inside a prison. The investigation will seek to verify the alleged complicity of disloyal officials and, if this situation is verified, dismissals and administrative summaries will be carried out, in addition to the filing of criminal complaints.

In addition, “Minister Olmedo and Vice Minister of Criminal Policy Daniel Benítez highlighted the prompt action of the prison officers, and the director of the prison Donofredo Torres, who demonstrated professionalism when managing the incident, a situation that prevented a massive escape of internal”, according to the statement from the Ministry of Justice.

Although the official report from the Ministry of Justice does not mention the alleged perpetrators, the Paraguayan National Police published a tweet on Tuesday night in which they presumed that those responsible for the riot would be members of the First Capital Command (PCC) criminal group.