WILLEMSTAD — Although Minister of Justice, Magali Jacoba states that the situation in the Bon Futuro prison is under control again, the atmosphere amongst the prisoners is still very tense.
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Hundreds of prisoners had protested against the clear out to be conducted by the Dutch co-workers of the National Exceptional Assistance (LBB).
That LBB clear out implies that the prison at Koraal Specht will be searched for weapons, drugs and telephones. In addition, new rules became applicable for the prisons, which they were not pleased with. The prisoners had decided to protest even before the clear out starts.
The prison management had called on the LBB and local guards who had been posted on the roof of cellblocks 2 and 7 from which position they were able to follow the prisoners’ preparations. When the prisoners had noticed the presence of these teams, they had immediately gone into the offensive, had thrown all kinds of stuff and even tried to climb on the roof. The situation has become so threatening that the LBB co-workers were forced to fire warning shots in the direction of cellblock 2 to restore the order. Subsequently, the prisoners in cellblocks 7 and 8 had swung into action. They had placed barricades and raised a fire. During this action, the prisoners had destroyed 23 cell doors. Once the order was restored and the barricades removed, the prisoners had held a sitting action in which they ignored all orders and refused to return to their cells. In this, the instructions on the use of force was applied in order to move the activists to neutral terrain, although the prisoners in cell block 2 had made a stiff resistance until the early evening hours.
The prisoners were angry about the ‘clear out’ to confiscate smuggled weapons, drugs and telephones, and hundreds had refused to return to their cells out of protest.
The peace is finally restored, Minister Jacoba stated Sunday evening in a press report. All prisoners are back in their cell. A number of them had supposedly received blows during the rebellion, but according to the Minister, nobody had been seriously injured. According to Jacoba, the rebellion confirms that the clear out scheduled, demands urgent action. Although the situation is under control, there is still a tense atmosphere in the Bon Futuro prison.
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