QUITO: During a spike in violence in the Andean nation, scores of staff members were being kept captive in Ecuador’s deadly jails. On Sunday, the country’s police and military attempted to restore order inside these facilities.
The Ecuadorean military posted pictures of shirtless detainees on their knees with their hands on their heads on social media after armed personnel stormed into the seven jails where a hostage situation that concluded on Saturday night was taking place.
According to the military, security agents were taking over control of the prisons and conducting searches.
“These individuals’ human rights are being upheld by the national police. The police chief of the Esmeraldas prison, Norman Cano, posted on social media, “We are doing so in a very calm manner.”
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The hostages were detained since last Monday in at least seven jails before being released. The SNAI prison service had previously stated that the hostages consisted of 158 guards and 20 administrative staff members.
The administration claims that armed groups seem to be responding to President Daniel Noboa’s intentions to address the grave security situation.
