In the afternoon of Thursday January 26, detainees disarmed one of the guards and opened fire on the police at Gonaïves prison, causing a riot to begin involving many other prisoners and an escape...

On leaving the prison, the escapees faced a group of armed individuals who had come to free a detainee who fired on the police who immediately responded. Caught in the crossfire, many escaped detainees were mortally wounded...

According to the Government Commissioner, Me Serard Gasius during a press briefing on Friday, 14 detainees were killed, 11 were on the run and actively sought after and the shooting caused an unknown number of injuries. Stressing that some prisoners were also armed... he indicated that the perpetrators behind this killing are not known at the moment.

For its part, the Citizen Protection Office (OPC) mentions a death toll of 16 detainees, while human rights organizations speak of about twenty prisoners killed in the local press. the OPC demands an immediate investigation in order to establish the degrees of responsibility for all administrative and legal purposes. In addition, rumors which will have to be confirmed or denied in the investigation, lead to believe in the execution by the police of several dangerous detainees...

After regaining control of the situation, using tear gas, the prison authorities brought the prisoners still in the yard back to their cell.

No information on the identity of the detainees killed has been communicated.

Later, at the request of the judicial authorities, a truck from the town hall lifted the bodies of the victims, after legal finding, to deposit them in a mass grave in the main cemetery of the city.

SL/ HaitiLibre