"Hundreds" of detainees, most of them in semi-liberty, escaped from four Brazilian prisons on Monday, a day before the suspension of their privileges, as part of measures to tackle the colonial pandemic, authorities said. San Paulo and broadcast by the Brazilian media.
Acts of "disobedience" have been reported in at least four prisons where detainees are being held, the state government said.
Authorities decided to revoke the privileges of detainees in semi-liberty, "because they concerned more than 34.000 inmates" and "on their return" to penitentiaries "there was a great risk that the coronavirus would be introduced and spread to a vulnerable population". the state prison administration, without announcing the "exact number" of fugitives.
Local media estimate that the number of escaped prisoners is about 1.000. Video uploaded to social networking sites depicts a number of detainees in the midst of a mass escape attempt.
Authorities assured that they "take care" of the situation.
The State of Sao Paulo is home to Brazil's most powerful gang, the self-proclaimed First Capital Administration (PCC), which is rapidly expanding its influence not only in the country but also in neighboring states. Trafficking in drugs, weapons and other items.
Brazilian prisons, where the problem of overcrowding has taken on alarming proportions, are often turned into theaters of bloody clashes between rival gangs.
Prisoners who enjoy a semi-liberty regime may be released from prisons during the day, either to work or to study if they attend a school or university. They receive up to five seven-day leave per year.
In Brazil, with a population of 210 million, federal authorities said Monday that 234 cases of coronary heart disease had been fatal so far, of which 152 were in San Paulo, the country's most populous state.
Rebellion at the penitentiary of Mongaguá, litoral of SP. At the moment, 8 agents are sent to ref. Presos fugiram pela orla da praia sentido Praia Grande. PM in local attachment. pic.twitter.com/26JVlAg2IJ
- Leonardo Martins (@___leomartins) March 16, 2020
Source: philenews / politis