Venezuela: Relatives of Prisoners Stage Protests

<a href=www.voanews.com>VOA News 29 Apr 2003, 01:42 UTC

More than 1,000 relatives of jailed Venezuelans have shut themselves in three prisons to demand better living conditions and quicker judicial proceedings for their loved ones.

Authorities say the family members arrived at the Coro, Rodeo and Tocuyito prisons west of Caracas during normal visiting hours Sunday but decided to stage the protest to draw attention to their complaints.

It was not clear if the protests at the three prisons were planned or coordinated.

They come several days after 11 people died and 40 others were injured in rioting between rival gangs at the maximum security Yare prison in north-central Venezuela. Prison officials called in the National Guard to restore order.

Riots are common in Venezuela's overcrowded and understaffed prisons, where almost half the inmates are in pre-trial detention.