{"id":9026,"date":"2026-01-18T04:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T04:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=9026"},"modified":"2026-01-18T04:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T04:34:13","slug":"guatemala-prisoners-take-workers-hostages-in-riots-across-three-facilities-prison-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=9026","title":{"rendered":"Guatemala prisoners take workers hostages in riots across three facilities | Prison News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Officials say 46 workers are being held, with gang members behind the riots seeking better conditions.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 18 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">18 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Prisoners in Guatemala have taken at least 46 workers hostage in riots across three detention centres, according to authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Officials said the incidents, which began on Saturday, appeared to be coordinated by gang members in response to their leader seeking a transfer to another facility for better conditions.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>There were no reported deaths \u200bor injuries among the hostages, Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda said at \u200da news conference.<\/p>\n<p>Villeda said those behind the riots were members of the Barrio 18 gang, while the Interior Ministry described the unrest as a \u201cdirect reaction\u201d to its moves to revoke privileges from gang leaders.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not going to make any deals with any terrorist group. I will not give in to this blackmail, and \u200bI will not restore their privileges in exchange for them \u200cstopping their actions,\u201d Villeda said.<\/p>\n<p>The hostages are mostly guards, but also include a psychologist, a prison official said.<\/p>\n<p>At the Renovacion 1 maximum security prison in Escuintla in Guatemala\u2019s south, police and soldiers formed a perimeter around the prison, as ambulances and firetrucks were \u200cstanding by to intervene if necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Inmates, some wearing jumpsuits but most in tank tops and shorts, their faces covered \u200cby masks improvised with pieces of clothing, watched from \u2060above, perched in the prison\u2019s patrol towers.<\/p>\n<p>One masked inmate, speaking from behind barbed wire, said they were not safe at the prison and were demanding to be moved.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey can\u2019t even guarantee their own security, \u200cso how are they supposed to guarantee ours?\u201d he said, referring to prison authorities.<\/p>\n<p>Guatemala has struggled to control its prison population in recent years amid rampant gang influence. Inmates, meanwhile, have reported harsh and dangerous conditions.<\/p>\n<p>In October, President Bernardo Ar\u00e9valo accepted the resignations of three top security officials after 20 gang members escaped over a period of days.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe link between the prison system and the criminality outside has to be cut,\u201d Arevalo said in an interview with The Associated Press news agency earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s why all this effort to regain control of the prison system is very important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials say 46 workers are being held, with gang members behind the riots seeking better conditions. Published On 18 Jan 202618 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Prisoners in Guatemala have taken at least 46 workers hostage in riots across three detention centres, according to authorities. Officials said the incidents, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}