30 inmates killed, decapitated

2004-09-23 15:49

Caracas, Venezuela - At least 30 inmates were killed and nine were seriously injured during a riot at a prison in western Venezuela, authorities said on Wednesday.

Antonio Martinez, a judge who entered the Central Western Penitentiary, about 280km west of Caracas, told the state-run Venpres news agency that at least three inmates had been decapitated.

Roughly 200 National Guardsmen quelled the rioting, which began late on Tuesday with inmates tossing hand grenades and shooting at rivals with firearms, said Martinez.

The death toll could increase because troops had not yet inspected the entire prison, said Martinez.

Riots are frequent in Venezuela's 32 overcrowded, dilapidated and understaffed prisons. About half of the over 15 000 inmates are still awaiting trial due to the sluggish character of Venezuela's justice system.

Last week, the Venezuelan Prison Observatory, a local non-profit human rights organization that tracks prison violence, reported that 193 inmates died due to gunshot and knife wounds in prisons so far this year. Most of the deaths resulted from fighting between rival gangs.

Interior minister Jesse Chacon recently vowed to undertake reforms to reduce prison violence and establish more efficient rehabilitation programmes for inmates.

- AP