Venezuela’s Prison Conflict Ends Through Dialogue

With the liberation of all inmates that remained hostage of prison gangs in the Penitentiary Center El Rodeo II, located in the outskirts of Caracas, the government’s determination to solve the 4-week conflict peacefully was imposed over those “looking for a massacre”, emphasized Interior and Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami.

“Some right-wing sectors and media headlined and manipulated information to play with the pain of inmates, thank God the massacres remained just in the minds of those people. Thankfully, we were able to find a peaceful solution to the conflict”. El Aissami celebrated “the victory of peace, resulting in the safety of 831 inmates. We are now providing them with medical attention”.

Once the intervention has finished, the inspection and reconstruction of the prison El Rodeo II will begin. El Aissami noted that officers of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) risked their lives during the whole operation, but nonetheless, they guaranteed inmates’ physical integrity and human rights.

The conflict began when leaders of internal prison gangs violently took over the El Rodeo I and II centers, making demands against the government. Authorities successfully got Rodeo I under control within days, but Rodeo II remained in conflict, as armed gangs held hundreds of prisoners hostage, fired at authorities and refused to negotiate.

Finally, after extensive dialogue and denial of basic necessities to the prison gangs, such as food and water, they were forced to cede, turn themselves in and release
the hostages.