MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian security officials said Tuesday nine inmates blamed for killing sprees in several prisons will be transferred to stricter federal facilities, after two days of unrest left 55 prisoners dead and authorities rushing to prevent the violence from spreading.

Fighting between inmates began around noon on Sunday in a prison complex in Manaus, the capital of the northern Amazonas state. The state prison secretary said the deaths were the result of infighting in one of the prison’s criminal groups.

“The dead individuals are members of this group, involved with drug trafficking,” he said in a statement, without specifying which fraction.

In the Manaus complex, an emergency security protocol was activated and within 45 minutes the situation was under control, local authorities said. Still, 15 inmates were killed, either asphyxiated or murdered with hand-crafted arms such as sharpened toothbrushes.

The following day, more fights erupted in three other facilities, all in the same city of Manaus, leaving another 40 inmates dead and pushing federal authorities to send a special taskforce to avoid a scenario similar to that of January 2017, when weeks of gruesome prison killings left over 120 victims.

The nine inmates who will be transferred to federal facilities on Tuesday are believed to have ordered the killings, authorities said. As a precautionary measure, another 200 prisoners have also been moved to different cells.

While police forces were intervening to separate inmates considered at-risk, two detainees were shot as they tried to take prison staff hostage.

“As the troop advanced, they (inmates) were killing people choking them inside their cells,” said Col. Vinicius Almeida, who leads the state prison office.

In the meantime, family members of inmates gathered outside the prisons, waiting for information on their loved ones. Some outside the Puraquequara Prison Unit (UPP) on Tuesday told The Associated Press they had heard people screaming and calling for help from within the facility Monday night.

“I’m going to stand here until they give me some news,” said Ediane Costa Soares, 38, whose 19-year-old son Anderson Soares de Souza, is an inmate at UPP.

Her son does not appear on the list of victims, but Costa Soares wants reassurance about her son’s well-being after the riots. “They have not told us anything.”

The Anisio Jobim Prison Complex, where 15 inmates died Sunday, was the scene of gruesome infighting two years ago that left 56 prisoners dead. Many of those victims had their heads cut off or their hearts and intestines ripped out.

Drug-trafficking and other criminal gangs run much of their day-to-day business from Brazil’s prisons, where they often have wide sway. The 2017 slayings were largely gang-related, prompting authorities to increase efforts to separate factions and frequently transfer prisoners. </s> LISBON (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Tuesday that the prison gang leaders responsible for killing 55 inmates in prisons across the northern city of Manaus will be moved to maximum-security federal jails.

Speaking at an event in Portugal, Moro said the grisly spate of murders earlier this week were a result of a struggle between prison gangs, a major public security issue in Brazil, the country with the world’s highest number of murders.

“The information we have is that there was a conflict between criminal gangs inside the prisons, which can happen anywhere in the world - but shouldn’t,” he told reporters. “We have an obligation to try to control these cases. We will transfer the leaders responsible for these acts in Manaus to prisons of maximum security.”

At least 40 prisoners in Brazil were found strangled to death on Monday in four jails in the Amazon city, where a fight between rival gangs resulted in 15 dead the day before, authorities said.

There are no signs that the violence will spread to other parts of the country, a spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday. Otávio Rêgo Barros told reporters that Bolsonaro was concerned by the violence. The right-wing president has vowed to regain control of the prisons along with building many more.

But the vast majority of Brazil’s prisons are administered at the state level. For decades they have been badly overcrowded and a headache for underfunded state government. Many lockups essentially serve as recruiting centres for drug gangs. Prison clashes often spread rapidly in Brazil, where drug gangs have de facto control over nearly all jails.

A federal task force is being sent to Manaus in an effort to halt the violence. </s> LISBON, May 28 (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Tuesday that the prison gang leaders responsible for killing 55 inmates in prisons across the northern city of Manaus will be moved to maximum-security federal jails.

Speaking at an event in Portugal, Moro said the grisly spate of murders earlier this week were a result of a struggle between prison gangs, a major public security issue in Brazil, the country with the world's highest number of murders.

"The information we have is that there was a conflict between criminal gangs inside the prisons, which can happen anywhere in the world - but shouldn't," he told reporters. "We have an obligation to try to control these cases. We will transfer the leaders responsible for these acts in Manaus to prisons of maximum security."

At least 40 prisoners in Brazil were found strangled to death on Monday in four jails in the Amazon city, where a fight between rival gangs resulted in 15 dead the day before, authorities said.

There are no signs that the violence will spread to other parts of the country, a spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday. Otávio Rêgo Barros told reporters that Bolsonaro was concerned by the violence. The right-wing president has vowed to regain control of the prisons along with building many more.

But the vast majority of Brazil's prisons are administered at the state level. For decades they have been badly overcrowded and a headache for underfunded state government. Many lockups essentially serve as recruiting centers for drug gangs. Prison clashes often spread rapidly in Brazil, where drug gangs have de facto control over nearly all jails.

A federal task force is being sent to Manaus in an effort to halt the violence. (Reporting by Catarina Demony in Lisbon Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in Rio de Janeiro Editing by Grant McCool and Matthew Lewis) </s> At least 42 prisoners have been found dead at four prisons in the northern Amazon jungle city of Manaus on Monday, authorities said.

The deaths came one day after 15 inmates were killed in clashes between rival prison gangs in the same city.

The Amazonas state government said in a statement that the victims appeared to have been killed by "asphyxiation." It added that federal authorities had dispatched reinforcements to the state to boost security.

On Sunday, 15 inmates were killed when fighting broke out at the Anisio Jobim Prison Complex in Manaus. Some of the 42 prisoners killed on Monday were also discovered at the facility, while the rest were found at three other jails.

Severe overcrowding is a huge problem in Brazil's prison system, which is plagued by drug violence and riots. In 2017, more than 120 prisoners died during three weeks of clashes between rival prison factions in northern Brazil.

Brazil has one of the world's largest prison populations. According to official statistics, there were more than 700,000 inmates as of 2016 — double the capacity of the nation's jails.

"Overcrowding and understaffing make it impossible for prison authorities to maintain control within many prisons, leaving detainees vulnerable to violence and recruitment into gangs," Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.



Every evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here. </s> At least 52 people have been killed in a jail in northern Brazil today in a bloody conflict between rival gangs that left 16 decapitated, an official has confirmed.

The 'rebellion' began at around 7am in the Altamira Regional Recovery Center, in the northern Pará state, where gang members from one prison block invaded the prison annex and reportedly set part of it on fire.

Sixteen of the dead were decapitated in the bloody five-hour-long clash that ended around midday (3pm GMT), an official from the Para state government's penitentiary department said.

It was the latest violence to rock the country's overpopulated and deadly prison system.

Local reports said gang members from Block A stormed Block B, which was occupied by a rival group, locked a room and set it on fire, causing many prisoners to die of asphyxiation, as per the Oservador.

Military police were called to the scene and negotiated with the inmates who had barricaded themselves in a cell block.

Brazilian media have reported that two prison officers were taken hostage in the conflict but were eventually freed following negotiations with civil police and the state's Prosecutor's Office.

Reported video of the conflict showed smoke billowing from one prison building. Another showed inmates walking on the roof of the prison, as per BBC.

The Altamira prison has a capacity of 200 inmates but was occupied by 311 prisoners, according to Brazilian News outlet G1.

Brazilian authorities have not named the two rival gangs involved in the attacks.

A fight between crime organizations would have motivated the rebellion, according to Brazilian newspaper O Globo.

However, violence in Brazilian prisons, particularly among gangs, is not uncommon.

The riot comes exactly two months after 55 people were confirmed dead in a riot in the northern Amazonas state of Brazil in May.

Monday's battle marked the second largest prison massacre in 2019. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):

Brazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.

The Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.

On Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.

Brazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.

Monday’s report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.

The Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were “found dead by hanging inside their cells” during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.

The prison agency said that the situation was “under control” and that prisoners were under lockdowns. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):

Brazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.

The Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.

On Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.

Brazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.

Monday's report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.

The Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were "found dead by hanging inside their cells" during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.

The prison agency said that the situation was "under control" and that prisoners were under lockdowns. </s> RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):

Brazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.

The Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.

On Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.

Brazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.

Monday's report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.

The Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were "found dead by hanging inside their cells" during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.

The prison agency said that the situation was "under control" and that prisoners were under lockdowns. </s> A dispute between inmates at a prison in Feira de Santana, Brazil, sparked a violent 18-hour riot that left eight people dead on May 24.

Dozens of inmates were found dead at three different prisons in the capital of Brazil’s northern Amazonas state on Monday.

The deaths come a day after 15 inmates died during fighting between prisoners at a fourth prison in the same city.

The Amazonas state prison agency said the 40 prisoners, all found dead in Manaus on Monday, showed signs of asphyxiation or choking.

Prison staff had only discovered the victims while making routine checks of the four different facilities, according to the BBC.

Since the grisly discoveries, a task force has been sent to “control the disturbances”.

More inmates suffered injuries during fighting on Monday.

On Sunday, 15 inmates were killed during a riot at Manaus’ Anisio Jobim Prison Complex, where 56 prisoners died two years earlier.

At least 25 of the victims were found in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, where all four prisons are located, according to AFP.

Another five were killed at the Provisional Detention Centre for Men, and six died at the Puraquequara Prison Unit. Authorities had initially put the official number of dead at 42 but later revised the number to 40 without explanation.

Local authorities said prisoners began fighting among themselves before noon on Sunday, and security reinforcements were rushed in and managed to regain control of the prison within 45 minutes.

Officials said the prisoners had used sharpened toothbrushes as shanks, and others had been strangled to death.

Prison visitors witnessed the violence, describing it as chaotic.

“It was total chaos,” said the mother of one inmate. Speaking to The Rio Times, she asked not to be named.

“Everyone started to run, and everyone was pounding on the cell gates, at the doors and running down the corridors.”

Little information has been released by Brazilian officials about Monday’s killings.

Brazil’s justice and public security ministry said it was sending a federal task force to help local officials handle the situation.

“I just spoke with (Justice) Minister Sergio Moro who is already sending a prison intervention team to the state of Amazonas so that he can help us in this moment of crisis and a problem that is national: the problem of prisons,” Amazonas state Governor Wilson Lima said.

Several drug-trafficking and other criminal gangs in Brazil run much of their day-to-day business from prisons, where they often have wide sway.

Brazil has the world’s third largest prison population. In April this year the number was at 712,305 inmates. The number of inmates is nearly double the capacity of the prisons, which is estimated to be about 368,049 inmates.

Overcrowding in the prisons has fuelled riots and violence within prison walls.

Attempts at prison reform have been met with strong resistance from inside and outside the prisons.

The recent violence echoes a similar bloody outbreak in early 2017 when more than 120 inmates were gruesomely slain by other prisoners. The attacks, in which many victims had their heads cut off or their hearts and intestines ripped out, were carried out between rival crime gangs in prisons in Brazil’s northern states.

The 2017 slayings were largely gang-related, prompting authorities to increase efforts to separate factions and frequently transfer prisoners.

Authorities have not yet been able to determine whether a gang war is behind the latest spate of killings.

Mr Moro was forced to send a federal task force to help tame violence in Ceara state in January that local officials said was ordered by gang leaders angered by plans to impose tighter controls in the state’s prisons.
Over Sunday and Monday, 55 people die of asphyxiation in various prisons across the Brazilian city of Manaus.