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Nine Inmates Killed in Peru Prison Riot


Inmates hold a sign that reads in Spanish "We want COVID-19 tests, we have the right to live"," as they gather ona roof during a prison protest at Lurigancho prison in Lima, Peru, April 28, 2020.
Inmates hold a sign that reads in Spanish "We want COVID-19 tests, we have the right to live"," as they gather ona roof during a prison protest at Lurigancho prison in Lima, Peru, April 28, 2020.

Authorities in Peru say nine prisoners were killed earlier this week when a protest demanding better healthcare amid the coronavirus outbreak turned violent.

Inmates at the Miguel Castro prison rioted Monday after two fellow inmates died of COVID-19, which has spread unchecked through Peru’s notoriously overcrowded prisons. At least 13 inmates have died from the disease, out of a total of 600 infections. Over 100 prison workers have also been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Inmates gather around the corpses of other inmates during a prison riot in Miguel Castro Castro prison, in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 27, 2020.
Inmates gather around the corpses of other inmates during a prison riot in Miguel Castro Castro prison, in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 27, 2020.

Along with better healthcare, the inmates were also calling on President Martin Vizcarra to grant them humanitarian pardons.

Earlier this week, President Martin Vizcarra extended a national quarantine until May 10 following a surge in COVID-19 cases, but no plan was unveiled for inmates.

Reuters news agency is reporting that the total number of COVID-19 infections in Peru has gone over the 30,000 mark, the second highest total in Latin America after Brazil, with 782 people deaths.

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