Massive prison break in Haiti

On August 16, Haitian police announced they were mobilizing forces to search for prisoners who had escaped from a prison in the coastal city of Saint-Marc in central Haiti.

Gang violence and prison escapes are common occurrences in Haiti. (Source: AP)

In a brief statement, police urged the public to cooperate and report any suspicious activity, but provided no further details on the number of escaped prisoners. Authorities in Saint-Marc stated that the prison in question was holding 502 inmates.

Haiti's daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported that prison staff had gone on strike to demand better treatment, quoting government commissioner Vension François as saying he feared "riots" would occur, not ruling out the possibility of guards being complicit in the incident.

Several videos posted on social media showed people climbing walls while thick smoke billowed from within the barbed-wire-enclosed walls of the prison. Residents also confirmed hearing gunshots and loud explosions.

This is the third prison break this year in Haiti. In early March, armed gangs freed thousands of prisoners after storming the country's two largest prisons in the capital, Port-au-Prince, triggering a series of attacks that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

Haiti's prisons are currently overcrowded, and pretrial detention can last for years due to a limited justice system. According to the United Nations, last year only 1,892 out of 11,816 prisoners in the country were convicted. Prisoners also face severe shortages of water and food, resulting in the deaths of 185 prisoners in 2023, mostly due to malnutrition-related illnesses.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vuot-nguc-quy-mo-lon-o-haiti-282947.html