2009 Ciudad Juárez prison riot explained

Time:7 a.m. MST (2 p.m. UTC)
Place:Cerezo state prison, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
Cause:Gang rivalry
Casualties1:20 dead, 15 injured

A prison riot occurred at the CERESO state prison in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, on March 4, 2009. During the riots, at least 20 people were killed and 15 were injured.[1] [2] Although a police spokesman stated that no police or jail guards were killed during the riots,[2] the Red Cross said that two policemen had been killed.[3] The riot was a fight among several rival gangs, the "Barrio Azteca", "Los Mexicles" and "Artistas Asesinos" (AA).[4] [5]

Events

The riots began at roughly 7 AM local time (2 PM UTC), and lasted for about two hours.[2] 14 members of the Aztecas "subjugated" a prison guard with knives and stole the guard's keys.[5] [6] The gang then opened several cells, releasing 170 prisoners.[5] The prisoners forced their way into an area where members of the Mexicles and AA were meeting with family and friends during conjugal visits, and attacked them.[7] During the riots, prisoners set blocks of prison cells on fire, stabbed each other with knives, or were beaten.[1] Other prisoners used rifles and iron pins as weapons.[4] In addition, some prisoners were thrown from the second story of buildings.[4] Two of the 20 prisoners died at a local hospital, while the remainder died in the prison.[8]

At least 50 members of the Mexican Army and 200 police were deployed to end the riots.[7] An airplane and two helicopters were also used to quell the violence.[2] Earlier in the day, 1,500 troops began entering the city in an effort to reduce drug-and-gang-related violence, which, over the last year, took the lives of 2,000 people in Ciudad Juárez.[9]

Notes and References

  1. News: Mexican prison riot 'kills 20' . 2009-03-05. BBC. 2009-03-06.
  2. News: 20 dead in Mexico prison riot, official says . 2009-03-04. CNN. 2009-03-06.
  3. News: Mexican prison uprising costs 20 lives . 2009-03-04 . Radio Netherlands . 2009-03-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090310050812/http://www.radionetherlands.nl/news/international/6201623/Mexican-prison-uprising-costs-20-lives . March 10, 2009 .
  4. News: 20 die in prison clash in northern Mexico . https://web.archive.org/web/20121023202141/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/05/content_10944865.htm. dead. October 23, 2012. 2009-03-05. Xinhua. 2009-03-06.
  5. News: 4020-MEXICO-PRISON RIOT UPDATE. 2009-03-05. RTV London. 2009-03-06.
  6. News: At least 20 dead in Mexican prison riot. Tuckman. Jo. 2009-03-05. The Guardian. 2009-03-06.
  7. News: 20 inmates die in Mexican prison fight. Montemayor. Marina. 2009-03-04. AP. 2009-03-06.
  8. News: 20 killed in Mexico prison violence. 2009-03-05. Times of India. 2009-03-06.
  9. News: Mexico troops enter drug war city. 2009-03-04. BBC. 2009-03-06.