The Government of Guatemala affirmed this Saturday that it «will not negotiate» with the leaders of the Barrio 18 gang, who are staging simultaneous riots in three prisons in the country, where they are holding 46 employees of the Penitentiary System hostage as a measure of pressure to regain their privileges. The disturbances are registered in the maximum security prison Renovación I, in the department (province) of Escuintla (south), as well as in Fraijanes II and Sector 11 of the Preventive Center in zone 18, on the periphery of the capital. At a press conference, the Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, attributed the revolt to an orchestrated reaction of organized crime to recent searches that seek to regain state control, dismantle extortion «call centers,» and stop the entry of illicit goods. «This government will not negotiate with any terrorist group. I will not give in to those blackmails and I will not return privileges with the objective that they lay down their actions,» declared Villeda, ruling out any dialogue that implies returning benefits to inmates. In addition, external attacks to create chaos have been reported, including the burning of a vehicle on the route to the Pacific. The minister held the inmates responsible for the integrity of the hostages and warned of the imminent use of public force. According to official information, the demands come from Aldo López Ochoa, alias Lodo, leader of Barrio 18, who demanded his transfer and amenities such as air conditioning, restaurant food delivery, and a King Size bed in his cell. Currently, the inmates are holding nine guards hostage in Renovación I, nine in zone 18, and 28 agents in Fraijanes II. «Terrorists should not direct the state's agenda… If it is necessary to use the force of the state to regain control of these centers and comply with this order, we will do it,» the official stated. The authorities have deployed security rings with the National Civil Police and the Army to prevent escapes and protect the civilian population, while evaluating a tactical incursion to free the staff.
