International media criticizes Brazilian prisons after massacre.

From Radio France International

The savagery of the rebellion that left 56 inmates dead – decapitated and mutilated – at the Compaj (Anísio Jobim Penitentiary Complex) in Manaus, made headlines around the world. The reason for the riot, which began on Sunday night (1st), was the dispute between two rival factions (Família do Norte and Primeiro Comando da Capital) for control of drug trafficking in the region. Criticism of the Brazilian prison system is a constant theme in foreign newspaper articles. The information is from Radio France Internationale.

The report in the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, written by correspondent Daniele Mastrogiacomo, begins by describing how the rebellion started "in the heart of the Amazon rainforest": "Some prisoners overpowered the guards in the corridors and tied them up. Others ransacked the cells and the cafeteria, grabbing all the weapons they could find: pistols, rifles, knives, shovels, and iron bars." It concludes: "It was 17 hours of horror and violence."

According to the publication, the prison, the largest in Manaus, is considered one of the toughest in Brazil. "The living conditions of the prisoners are inhumane," it writes.

The French newspaper Le Monde reports that, during negotiations, the prisoners demanded practically nothing, "only that there be no excessive force on the part of the police when entering the premises." "We believe they had already achieved what they wanted, to kill the members of the rival organization," said Sergio Fontes, Secretary of Public Security of Amazonas.

According to the newspaper, "riots are frequent in Brazilian prisons, whose overcrowding is regularly denounced by human rights organizations."

The Spanish newspaper El País points out that the Northern Region is crucial for international drug trafficking, as the main sales routes pass through it. "The Amazon borders major cocaine-producing countries such as Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela. Therefore, control of local prisons establishes power over this activity," it writes.

The article in the British newspaper The Guardian highlights that a video published on the website of the Brazilian newspaper Em Tempo shows dozens of bloody and mutilated corpses piled on the prison floor. The article describes the conditions in Brazilian prisons as "terrible".

"I've never seen anything like it."

The New York Times quotes Judge Luís Carlos Valois, who directly participated in the negotiations with the rebels. "I've never seen anything like it in my life. There were many bodies, most of them dismembered," he said. The newspaper notes that the prison held 1.200 inmates, three times its capacity.

The report says the massacre has been compared to the Carandiru massacre in São Paulo, in which police killed 111 prisoners. "An appeals court recently overturned the convictions of 73 police officers for their participation in the massacre, which has drawn criticism from human rights groups," the newspaper says.

The New York Times also notes that, since that episode, Brazilian authorities have promised to end overcrowding and combat gangs in prisons. "But the increase in arrests for minor drug-related offenses has bloated the prison system, and rebellions continue to occur throughout the country."