For fear of being infected with the novel coronavirus, prisoners in a detention centre in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires on Friday protested against the hygienic conditions at the facility.
Prisoners in a federal prison in the Villa Devoto district set fire to mattresses and threw stones, chairs, and metal parts from the roof of the detention centre onto the police on the ground, images on TN television showed.
A banner read: “We refuse to die in prison.”
The prisoners demanded that security measures be implemented in the detention centre to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
They also demanded that members of risk groups be transferred to house arrest.
The Supreme Criminal Court recntly recommended that pre-trial detainees, prisoners with sentences under three years, pregnant women, and older prisoners be released into house arrest.
Prison riots have occurred repeatedly throughout Latin America over the past few weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In the often overcrowded detention centres, people have poor access to hot water, soap, and medical care.
“Physical distance and self-isolation are practically impossible under such conditions,” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.
