The media reported that 47 people were taken hostage in three prisons in Guatemala.

In Guatemala, prisoners from three prisons rioted and took 47 people hostage. This was reported on January 17 by the Argentine newspaper Infobae.

According to the newspaper, 46 employees of local prisons were taken hostage, of which 18 were guards and one psychologist.

The Guatemalan government blames the Barrio 18 gang ("District 18"), which the authorities call a terrorist organization, for the riot. According to Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda, the group's members "seek to restore their privileges in prisons."

The riots were allegedly organized by a gang leader nicknamed El Lobo (from Spanish, "the wolf"), who put forward his demands for detention. Among them is the transfer to another prison and the installation of an air conditioner in his cell. Villeda also cited operations to eliminate certain call centers that prisoners used for fraud and extortion as the reason for the riot. In addition, control over packages for convicts has been tightened in Guatemalan prisons.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country has already stated that no negotiations with criminals will be conducted. The authorities are making efforts to free the hostages.

"This government <...> is not going to make a deal with a terrorist group, I am not going to succumb to this blackmail and I am not going to return their privileges," the newspaper quoted Villeda as saying.

He added that there is still an opportunity for dialogue, but for this the prisoners are obliged to release all hostages. Besides, according to the minister, they may not expect to get their privileges back anyway.

On November 10 last year, the National Service for Comprehensive Assistance to Adults Deprived of Liberty and Juvenile Offenders (SNAI) reported that the Ecuadorian authorities had found the bodies of 31 prisoners after a riot in Machala prison. According to SNAI, the bodies of four victims of the riots had previously been found in the prison. The agency confirmed that the relevant authorities are working to fully clarify the circumstances of the incident.

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