Today, personnel of the Prisons Ministry along with soldiers of the National Guard tried to inspect Uribana Prison (located outside Barquisimeto) for illegal materials.
The procedure was supposed to be low-profile in nature. But a local journalist found out, thanks to the very not-so-subtle presence outside of at least ten military light tanks.
There was resistance to the inquiry and a shootout started. Right now there are several casualties, including a GN officer, an evangelical pastor and prison inmates. The numbers of dead and wounded could grow, as there many are dozens attended in Barquisimeto’s Central Hospital. Prisons Minister Iris Varela has blamed everything on the media.
CC readers should remember Uribana as the place where there are knife fights between inmates called coliseos for years now. Quico blogged about it last year for the IHT.
UPDATE # 1: According to El Universal, the current numbers are 13 dead (10 inmates, 2 visiting evangelical pastors and a National Guard officer) and 63 people wounded.
UPDATE # 2: At 9:30 p.m., the latest report is of 54 dead and 80 wounded. The head of Barquisimeto’s Central Hospital confirmed most of the deaths were caused by gun shots.
UPDATE # 3: 24 hours later, a source of Barquisimeto’s Central Hospital told the spanish press agency EFE that the latest numbers are 61 dead and 120 injured.
What manner of APC are those? To this unknowing eye it look very much like something built on a Sherman chasis?
If so those babies are gold, export ‘em to the US exotic car market.
They look more like light tanks that armored personnel vehicles.
They are French Made AMX-VCI IFV’s or Infantry fighting vehicles. They have been in loyal service for at least 40 to 50 years
You really got to love Iris Valera’s reaction………
Those vehicles are French made AMX-13 (indeed an APC http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMX-VCI) and belong to the army, not the GN. By the way the GN got new vehicles from China, one of them is an armored car. The VN-4 http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7706/imageoygx.jpg
Thanks.
Its big shit with armour. Not something you see in a successful correctional facility.
After reading the above I wonder about the future consequences to Venezuela of placing a totally loopy woman like Iris Valera in charge of hardened criminals. What kind of reaction would a mentally unstable person like Iris Valera have to the sudden loss of political power, a real possibility in the next few months? Would she pull the guards from the prisons? Would she quickly unleash these people into the general populace as punishment? The ensuing barbarity in Venezuela would be comparable to the brutality of a 13th century Ghengis Khan entering Kiev. This is a terrible thought, I know. But, Iris Valera in charge of ‘these’ people?
It’s only the perception of tanks, casualties, etc… Clearly the medias fault.
She said something along the lines of: it’s the media’s fault for giving them the heads up…
As if they wouldn’t be given the heads up by other means, including the GN and prison guards.
Guns don’t kill prisoners. TV news kills prisoners.
geha: first link doesn’t work.
here’s an additional view: https://twitter.com/betsygonz69/status/294950334890139648/photo/1
very tragic photo, cannot help for feeling sorry for these criminals regardless, because of the incompetent government and iris varela, peazo’e loca, que horror, how irresponsible… the bottom so far… I think
I actually see it as a positive step that they are attempting to disarm the inmates. They’re doing a horrible job of it, but it’s better than nothing.
I don’t mean that this effort was better than nothing, however.
Bankers released. Inviting back the DEA contemplated. Prisons cleaned up. Change is in the air.
No, change is not in the air. It is the same bullhsit than has happened before, and it will happen again.
And the same monsters applauding it before, are clapping now.
The thing that stands out is how the regime’s negligence has allowed the criminal element to gain such control over all spheres of life that even prisons , places where official control of criminals should be the greatest , are so dominated by the inmates that for officials to get in , they have to bring in armoured vehicles and heavily armed national guard commandos.to do battle with the prisioners , causing dozens of deaths and casualties !! To the regime, Power obssesed as it is , the only important thing is gaining and maximizing its hold over Political Power so that any government task that doesnt help them achieve that end is neglected and forgotten. This is why for 12 years no effort was made to maintain or develop an electricity generation and transmission system that might have avoided us the disastrous deficiency in power generating capacity that we now suffer . and gobernement institutions have been so mismanaged and allowed to fall into ruin .
Nothing matters but the conquest and consolidation of absolute political power .
“the only important thing is gaining and maximizing its hold over Political Power so that any government task that doesnt help them achieve that end is neglected and forgotten. ”
That, in the end, is the story of the Bolivarian Venezuela.
Pseudo-president Maduro:
“Hubo una situación de confusión trágica que nosotros lamentamos mucho y le hemos pedido a la Fiscal General de la República, Luisa Ortega Díaz, que inicie una investigación amplia y cuente con la colaboración de nuestros ministerios y nuestras autoridades”
Confusión trágica…
Conclusion de la investigacion de LOD: …Y los culpables son los medios.
Today will be news about the “new phase” in the “treatment of the disease” of HCh. Looks like he will not return to Vzla. . Interesting was the statements of Jaua, who, after beeing for days in Cuba said, he had “communicated” with HCh. Comunicado, no conversado, hablado o (Dios nos salve) discutido. “El Presidente (Hugo Chávez) está plenamente consciente. Nos comunicamos. Tomó decisiones respecto a la agenda internacional, a la agenda interna”, señaló Jaua.
Now Villegas has confirmed it, HCh is in chemotherapy (he said “tratamiento médico sistémico para enfermedad de base”, is there another? -antibodies could be, maybe they try something experimental). That and lung damage and it explains Jaua “comunicado”. He is probably in isolation regime and or with assisted respiration. Por suerte la juramentación es sólo un formalismo…
It is always possible to control a prison without resorting to mass slaughter. Authorities can control the entry of food, water, and electricity, for example. If the people killed were killed by the Army, and not pranes, etc., it shows total administrative breakdown and incompetence.
News note #1:
Iris Varela blames GloboVision for the violence & deaths in La Uribana on Jan. 25.
News note #2:
GloboVision runs a “Believe it or Not” of the director of the prison announcing the date & time of the action in the prison 24 hours earlier on Jan. 24.
http://globovision.com/articulo/aunque-ud-no-lo-crea-una-requisa-anunciada-por
How’s she going to explain that one away?
Venezuelan prison riots and collateral damage
http://dcmontreal.wordpress.com/2013/01/27/venezuelan-prison-riots-and-collateral-damage/