QUITO, Oct 13 (NNN-Xinhua) — Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno extended a state of emergency at the country’s prisons for another 30 days, citing “internal turmoil” at the facilities, the Presidency’s Communications General Secretariat (Secom) said.
The president signed the executive decree, which seeks to maintain order in prisons, on Saturday, according to a Secom statement.
Ecuadorian prisons have been under a state of emergency for 60 days, during which there have been outbreaks of violence.
According to the decree, the National Service for Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty reported four violent deaths and two incidents of disorderly conduct from Aug. 11 to Oct. 5.
Authorities have carried out 52 raids, uncovering controlled substances, weapons and other banned items at prisons throughout the country.
In the decree, Moreno called on state institutions, including the Armed Forces and National Service for Attention to Persons Deprived of Liberty, to coordinate efforts to maintain order in prisons.
The measure also aims to restore the normal functioning of the nation’s penitentiary system amid the health emergency sparked by COVID-19.
The decree suspends certain rights, including correspondence, and freedom of association and assembly. — NNN-XINHUA
