'Come back Monday, OK?' Hundreds of prisoners escape in Brazil amid Covid-19 anger

[Judi Lynn]

Holiday for minimum security prisoners is cancelled because of outbreak, so many simply run off

Dom Phillips in Rio de Janeiro
Mon 16 Mar 2020 23.20 EDT

Hundreds of prisoners have escaped from four semi-open prisons in São Paulo state in the south-east of Brazil after Easter prison holidays were cancelled and restrictions on visitors tightened because of coronavirus.

Videos showed dozens of prisoners fleeing down a street near one coastal prison and flooding across a soccer pitch on a beach.

There were riots and escapes from semi-open prisons in Tremembé, Porto Feliz and a wing of a prison in Mirandópolis in São Paulo state. In one video hordes of prisoners could be seen running away in Mongaguá on the São Paulo coast – where 400 reportedly fled – while a man shouts: “Come back Monday, OK?” Other videos showed dozens on a beach. The G1 news site reported that 40 had been recaptured.

The São Paulo state penitentiary department said it had postponed the Easter prison break – one of five annual breaks for prisoners in semi-open regimeswho work in the day – because of coronavirus. “The measure was necessary because the benefit would include more than 34,000 convicts of the semi-open regime who, returning to prison, would have high potential to install and propagate coronavirus,” said a statement, adding that semi-open prisons did not have armed guards.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/17/come-back-monday-ok-hundreds-of-prisoners-escape-in-brazil-amid-covid-19-anger




Video at the link below:

JAIL BREAK Hundreds of prisoners escape Brazilian jail ‘and hold guards hostage’ in revolt over coronavirus crackdown
LATEST
Les Steed
Mar 16 2020, 20:59 ETUpdated: Mar 16 2020, 22:44 ET

https://www.the-sun.com/news/547865/hundreds-of-prisoners-escape-brazilian-prison-and-hold-guards-hostage-in-revolt-over-coronavirus-crackdown/

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Massive jailbreaks in Brazil ahead of coronavirus lockdown
Tuesday, March 17, 2020 3:30 am



Tuesday, March 17, 2020 3:30 am | International | 0 Comment(s)


A prison in Brazil: Thousands stage jailbreaks to avoid coronavirus lockdown

Hundreds of prisoners broke out of four Brazilian jails on Monday, the day before their day-release privileges were due to be suspended over the coronavirus outbreak, Sao Paulo state prison authorities and local media reported.

The Sao Paulo state prison authority said it could not say how many inmates had escaped as it was “still tallying the exact number of fugitives.” Local media reported that as many as 1,000 had fled from four jails – Mongaguá, Tremembé, Porto Feliz and Mirandópolis – ahead of the lockdown.

A video on social media showed a long stream of prisoners purportedly fleeing a prison. Reuters was unable to verify the veracity or location of the video.

The Sao Paulo state prison authority said “acts of insubordination” had taken place at the jails ahead of the suspension of the day-release program.

More:
https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/03/17/massive-jailbreaks-in-brazil-ahead-of-coronavirus-lockdown/