Venezuelan inmates' families stage prison protests

28 Apr 2003 20:23:21 GMT

CARACAS, Venezuela, April 28 (Reuters-Alertnet) - More than 1,000 family members of inmates have shut themselves in three Venezuelan prisons to demand better conditions and speedier trials for their relatives, officials said on Monday.

The protest by wives and children of prisoners in the already overcrowded Tocuyito, El Rodeo and Coro penitentiaries, all located west of Caracas, followed several weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations over prison conditions.

The family members entered the three jails during normal visiting hours Sunday. They remained inside the prisons and are refusing to leave until prison authorities, magistrates and journalists came to the jails to hear their complaints.

Prison officials said most of the relatives appeared to be taking part in the protests voluntarily, but some were being kept inside against their will.

"Everything's calm for the moment," said Ramon Torres, director of the El Rodeo jail in Miranda State, where 286 women and 50 children were occupying part of the prison.

More than 600 relatives staged a similar protest in Tocuyito prison in Carabobo state and several dozen more were inside the Coro jail in western Falcon state.

"We are trying to make sure the children get food and water. Otherwise everything is normal," Torres told local television.

Venezuela's jails have a reputation for poor conditions and frequent violence. An inefficient justice system keeps many inmates behind bars in overcrowded facilities for months, and sometimes years, before they are brought to trial.

At least 18 inmates have been killed and dozens injured in prison riots in the last three weeks. These include 12 inmates hacked and shot to death in an April 18 clash between rival gangs in Yare prison, one of the country's biggest.

More than 240 inmates were killed and 1,249 injured in prison violence between October 2001 and September 2002, according to Ministry of Interior and Justice statistics.

A recent U.S. State Department human rights report found 48 percent of all prisoners in Venezuela were in pretrial detention. The report said prison conditions were harsh with 22 of the country's 30 jails suffering from overcrowding.