PANAMA CITY, Dec 19 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Panama’s Pres Laurentino Cortizo wasted no time in following through on his promise that there would be “consequences” following the Tuesday afternoon massacre in La Joyita prison, where the death toll has now risen to 15, with 13 detainees still hospitalized with severe injuries.
On Wednesday, he ordered the firing of Walter Hernández, director of the Penitentiary System along with the deputy director Luis Gordón and José Melamed, chief commissioner of the external security of the prison complex, and deputy commissioner Ismael Arguelles, chief of external security and Corporal Rigoberto Pérez, who was on duty in Hall 14.
The president announced the measure through his Twitter account, minutes after a press conference at the Presidency, where he had announced that “hard and unrelated measures” would be applied
At the conference, Cortizo also said that the ministries of Government and Public Security have two weeks to deliver a full report of what happened at La Joyita on Tuesday.
“In those two weeks I want to have the answers and the actions we must take, as soon as possible,” he added. “We have to proceed to investigate each of the responsible persons, be it custodians or members of the public force,” he said.
The deadliest prison clash in Panama’s history occurred between 2 and 2:30 p.m. local time Tuesday.
Officials at the National Penitentiary System said no guards or prison personnel were among the victims.
Authorities are investigating the incident to determine who was responsible for the violence.
Panama’s President Laurentino Cortizo said Tuesday he would consult with the nation’s Security Council and police force to prevent further incidents. — NNN-AGENCIES