Honduran government militarizes prison system following tragedy in women’s prison

Honduran President Xiomara Castro has entrusted the Military Police with full control of the country’s penitentiary system, effective from July 1.

This decision comes in the wake of a prison riot that claimed the lives of 46 inmates at the National Women’s Penitentiary for Social Adaptation (PNFAS), located north of Tegucigalpa.

Simultaneously, President Castro has dismissed the members of the Board of Control of the prisons, including the director, Julissa Villanueva, who will resume her duties as the undersecretary (vice-minister) of Security in the area of Police Affairs.

Additionally, the government has extended the State of Exception to other parts of the country and prolonged its duration.

The Executive has requested the Judiciary to grant alternative preventive measures to all incarcerated women in the PNFAS who have not been convicted, as well as to those suffering from terminal illnesses.

In response to the prison tragedy in the Támara valley, the government has declared three days of national mourning.

Festive events commemorating the anniversary of the June 28, 2009 coup d’état against former President Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009) have been suspended.

The official statement clarifies that only actions honoring the victims of the constitutional crisis will take place, including the opening of the Museum of Memory and Reconciliation in Honduras.

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