Venezuela closes prison where violence kills 37 inmates

Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-18 05:04:27|Editor: yan
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CARACAS, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's Minister of Interior and Justice Nestor Reverol ordered on Thursday the closure of a detention center in the southern state of Amazonas, where a clash between security forces and inmates on Wednesday left 37 dead and 15 others injured.

"We have closed this (unit), in order to rehabilitate it and place it at the service of the Ministry of Penitentiary Affairs, while we investigate the lack of (institutional) action," said Reverol at the site of the prison.

The minister held the state governor Liborio Guarulla to account as "only three guards, the director and deputy director were found in the center" where over 200 prisoners are kept.

Reverol also fired a number of officials who "were overwhelmed by the situation" to a point when the police and national guard had to be called in.

Violence inside the prison led the security forces to intervene but they were met with prisoners who opened fire and threw grenades, "obliging them to use force to control the location."

Prisoners in the detension center have been transferred to other facilities, he said.

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