CARACAS, Sep 4 (IPS) – Calls to crack down on terrorists and ship those that could also be accused of such crimes to new most safety prisons are more and more amongst Latin American leaders Of their toolbox, they hope to make use of an iron fist in opposition to criminals and opponents.
“Latin American presidents’ fascination with maximum-security prisons is spreading like wildfire,” Renata Segura, regional program director on the Brussels-based suppose tank Worldwide Disaster Group, wrote on her X Media account.
This attraction exists amongst presidents with opposing political opinions, though most of them are united by a brand new populism of their insurance policies and actions.
Venezuela is the newest case, with President Nicolás Maduro ordering the development of two maximum-security prisons to accommodate some 2,000 individuals arrested after his re-election in July 28 elections sparked an outbreak of road protests. and have been accused of terrorist acts.
Argentinian President Javier Milley accused opponents who just lately demonstrated in opposition to him in Buenos Aires of the identical crime, whereas Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa ordered the development of a most safety constructing for criminals accused of terrorism stage jail and a jail ship.
A very powerful determine within the area is Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has detained 80,000 individuals, most of them accused of being members of huge prison gangs or terrorists, throughout a state of emergency that has lasted greater than two years. . empty.
Bukele’s authorities constructed a large jail, the Heart for the Containment of Terrorism (Cecot), to accommodate 40,000 prisoners whose trials and detention circumstances violated human rights, in response to worldwide humanitarian organizations observing the method.
“The current announcement of the development of a maximum-security jail was most definitely impressed by measures taken by President Bukele, who has been very profitable in decreasing insecurity,” Segura advised IPS in New York.
She acknowledged that El Salvador’s rulers “get pleasure from nice recognition regardless of large human rights violations within the nation”.
In reality, “he ended up jailing two p.c of El Salvador’s grownup inhabitants, largely with out due course of and in critical human rights violations,” mentioned Carolina Jimenez, president of the NGO Washington Workplace on Latin America (Wola) Carolina Jiménez Sandoval mentioned.
Throughout this state of emergency, “no less than 261 individuals have been killed, and now we have to do not forget that each individual within the custody of the state is the duty of the state,” Sandoval advised worldwide information businesses in Washington.
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On June 21, Noboa started constructing a maximum-security jail on 16 hectares of land within the Santa Elena province on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, a rustic with 36 prisons and a inhabitants of 18 million. The jail is predicted to price $52 million and can home as much as 800 inmates.
“At present we’re marking one of the vital vital milestones in our combat in opposition to terrorism and the mafia that has hijacked our nation’s momentum for many years,” mentioned the president, who will search re-election subsequent yr.
In Venezuela, whereas tons of of younger protesters who opposed Maduro’s declaration of victory have been imprisoned in late July, the president ordered that two prisons in Tocolon and Tocuito within the middle of the nation be transformed into “most safety” Jail” to accommodate new inmates.
To not be outdone, Mire introduced that he would promote prisons on invaluable land in central Argentina and use the cash to construct a maximum-security jail away from town. In June, he despatched Safety Minister Patricia Bullrich to be taught in regards to the expertise in El Salvador.
“That is it. Robust on criminals,” the minister mentioned after the go to.
The area has all the time had most safety prisons, such because the Mexican Federal Rehabilitation Heart within the central Mexican state of El Altiplano, which homes a bunch of former drug cartel leaders and serial killers.
Colombia has most safety prisons in Combeta (centre) and Valledupar (north), in addition to in La Picota Jail in Bogota, which through the years has housed guerrillas, Convicted or accused terrorists and drug cartel leaders.
Brazil has an space of 8.5 million sq. kilometers and a inhabitants of 205 million. There are 5 high-security prisons in 4 of the 26 states and the Federal District. In February final yr, two prisoners escaped from the northeastern jail of Mosolo, the primary time since 2006.
Well-known tragic occasions are the Lurigancho Jail in Lima and the El Fronton Island Jail on the Pacific Ocean close to the capital, the place tons of of members of the Shining Path, a left-wing guerrilla group, have been massacred after riots in June 1986. prisoner.
These maximum-security prisons have been closed after the bloodbath, however Peru nonetheless maintains Chalapalca Jail, the world’s highest jail at 4,600 meters above sea stage in a desolate location within the south of the nation. with dozens of prisoners thought-about extremely harmful.
Commenting on the case in El Salvador, Jiménez Sandoval famous, “Is the nation’s murder price decrease? Sure. Do individuals really feel safer? Sure.”
“It’s true that these punitive fashions based mostly on mass arrests and human rights abuses are likely to have quick outcomes, however within the medium to long run they’re troublesome to proceed to work,” she mentioned.
“You’ll be able to’t put everybody in jail” and “as a result of most of the components that affect and lead younger individuals into violence are nonetheless there, similar to poverty, exclusion, lack of schooling and employment alternatives and life plans,” Jimenez mentioned.
Domesticate concern
The selection of most safety prisons now goes past the combat in opposition to terrorism to serve the aim of political activism, threatening opponents or demonstrators who could also be accused of this crime, whereas additionally demonstrating power and willpower to retain energy.
“When rulers of nations that additionally face excessive ranges of insecurity as a result of organized crime, gangs or different phenomena announce these measures, they’re definitely making a gesture that also they are taking a troublesome method to crime,” Segura mentioned. technique.
In Venezuela, “the place the post-election repression of the opposition intensified, I believe there was one other objective: to ship a message to these contemplating collaborating in protests that they’d be arrested and imprisoned as in the event that they have been high-risk criminals, “She’s additional.
Gonzalo Himiob, a lawyer and vp of the human rights advocacy group Foro Penal, mentioned the Venezuelan authorities “is vigorously selling any protest or dissent in opposition to the formally declared election outcomes.” Everyone is a terrorist.” a prisoner who had been in jail for 15 years advised IPS.
“Terrorism was intentionally downplayed by these in energy and there was a technical error as a result of the arrested demonstrators didn’t meet the internationally acknowledged definition of terrorist brokers, connections or conduct,” Himiobu mentioned.
He added that lots of these arrested have been mere bystanders and weren’t even demonstrating, and no less than 114 have been youngsters among the many 1,500 individuals arrested within the weeks after the July 28 election, making terrorism expenses unlawful.
“Double critical occasions” occurred, such because the announcement by the prosecutor’s workplace that these arrested can be categorised as terrorists, “a prefabricated catalog that inverts the regulation, which stipulates that first the information are individualized, after which the individuals, not the information”. Alternatively,” Himiobu continued.
In brief, “They’re appearing underneath the so-called enemy prison code, utilizing it to not do justice however to take advantage of energy,” he mentioned.
So rule by the impulse that’s the supply of concern.
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedAuthentic supply: Inter Press Service
