Videos taken this Saturday (6) show confusion between criminal police officers and family members of inmates in front of the Gericinó Penitentiary Complex, in Bangu, in the west zone of Rio de Janeiro.
It was visiting day at prisons and employees from the Penitentiary Administration Secretariat (Seap) were demonstrating there when the commotion began. In the images, obtained by CNN , it is possible to see that there was a fight. At one point, objects were thrown at the protesters. Photos also show that food that would be taken to prisoners was thrown on the floor.
The Military Police were called and there was a confrontation with the protesters. See videos below.
According to witnesses, the union members, who were off duty and inactive, prevented family members from entering the Complex's premises from the early hours of the morning. Now the police that was on duty, were available for accreditation and subsequent access.
In an interview with CNN , the president of the Criminal Police Union, Gutembergue de Oliveira, explained that visits had been suspended due to the time of day and some visitors insisted on entering. The confusion, according to him, occurred when they were prevented from entering by agents.
“The Penitentiary Administration uses unreasonable discretion to make visiting hours more flexible. This further burdens the System's operability, imposing a greater burden on criminal police officers than they ordinarily experience. He doesn’t care about security, with the huge shortage of criminal police officers, he tries at any cost to assert a right that has to be considered,” he said.
When consulted, Seap reported that a group of unionized employees have been holding daily demonstrations at the entrance to the Complex, which has hampered the flow of visitors.
On Saturday, according to the Secretariat, it was necessary to call the Military Police to contain the disturbance, after the protesters tried again to prevent family members of prisoners from entering the complex.
Also according to the Secretariat's note, a court decision considered the act illegal and, as a result, Seap states that it needed to act to prevent abuses that may be committed.
“Seap adds that it respects all democratic demonstrations due to the demands of the category, whose agenda is being discussed with the State Government”, it said in the statement.
Source: CNN Brasil
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