At least 56 dead in Brazil prison massacre

By Senabri Silvestre

SANTO DOMINGO, Dom. Rep. – At least 56 inmates in Brazil have been killed and dozens remain at large following a prison riot over the weekend in the northern state of Amazonas, according to the authorities.

A clash that broke out between two rival bands Sunday overnight at over-capacity Anisio Jobim complex in the city of Manaus left utter bloodshed in its wake, the state’s Secretary of Public Security, Sergio Fontes said.

"Many were beheaded and they all suffered a lot of violence to send a message to their enemies,” Fontes said at a press conference, according to local media.

Meanwhile, 72 prisoners escaped Sunday from the Antonio Trindade Criminal Institute, another prison in the city.

Fontes’ office revised down the death toll from a speculated 60 in a late Monday statement.

The riot began when members of the local faction Northern Family (FDN) attacked prisoners belonging to the First Command of the Capital (PCC) group, originally from Sao Paulo. The groups have been vying for power at several prison complexes in the South American country since the last year.

Prisoners took 12 officials hostage but over time all of them were released unharmed, except one, who was taken to a hospital after having been grazed by a bullet.

Judge Luis Carlos Valois, who went to the scene to negotiate the end of the riot, said he was in a state of shock when he saw the images of bodies dismembered, stacked, mutilated, and beheaded.

“I have never seen anything like this in my life. Those organs and blood are still clear in my head. I'm still in shock,” he said.

During the negotiations, the inmates only asked not to be transferred to another jail and to maintain their rights to receive visits. It was not a rebellion to obtain improvement in the penitentiary system, but a conflict for power and control, Valois explained.

Anisio Jobim currently houses 2,230 inmates, despite a stated capacity of only 590.