Massive prison break in Haiti

Haitian police said on August 16 that they were mobilizing forces to search for prisoners who escaped from a prison in the city of Saint-Marc on the central coast of the country.

Gangs are rampant and prison breaks are common in Haiti. (Source: AP)

In a brief statement, police asked the public to cooperate and report any suspicious individuals, but did not provide further details on the number of inmates who escaped. The Saint-Marc city government said the prison was holding 502 inmates.

The Haitian daily Le Nouvelliste reported that prison staff had gone on strike to demand better treatment, and quoted government commissioner Vension François as saying he feared a “riot,” not ruling out the possibility that prison guards were complicit in the incident.

Videos posted on social media showed people climbing over the walls as smoke billowed from inside the prison’s barbed-wire-enclosed walls. Residents also reported hearing gunshots and loud explosions.

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

Haiti’s prisons are overcrowded and pretrial detention can last for years due to a limited justice system. Last year, only 1,892 of the country’s 11,816 inmates were convicted, according to the United Nations. Prisoners also face severe food and water shortages, which led to the death of 185 inmates in 2023, mostly from malnutrition-related diseases.

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