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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Gang Members, Families Occupy San Salvador Cathedral |
| 2005-11-07 |
| Gang members and their families on Monday occupied the Roman Catholic cathedral in the Salvadoran capital to demand better visiting rights for inmates in a high security prison. The 20 demonstrators, including former and active members of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang and their children, said they would not leave the temple until authorities agreed to demands for direct contact with inmates at the Zacatecoluca penitentiary during visiting hours. "The children of prisoners want to hug and kiss our fathers," read a banner displayed by the protesters. Under current rules, the prisoners are separated from visitors by panels of reinforced glass. Located 56 km (35 miles) east of San Salvador, the Zacatecoluca prison, informally known as "Zacatraz," houses around 500 inmates, including street gang members classified as extremely dangerous "This is a peaceful and indefinite occupation," said former Mara Salvatrucha Ernesto Miranda, who took part in the demonstration. "There are about 20 people inside the cathedral and they won't come out until the authorities meet their demands." "There are active gang members here but there are also children," Miranda said, "the children of the prisoners." Police cordoned off the cathedral but did not make any immediate arrests. The demonstrators also demanded that Amnesty International be allowed to visit the prison to check for human rights abuses, and called for the resignation of Salvadoran Interior Minister Rene Figueroa. The violent Mara street gangs developed in Los Angeles in the 1980s; they now have an estimated 100,000 members in Central America. Mark my words, MS-13 is the next al-Qaeda. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |