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July 30, 2019

Brazil: At Least 57 Killed in Prison Riot
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In Brazil, at least 57 people were killed in a prison gang riot Monday
in the state of Pará. Authorities say 16 people were decapitated, while
others died of asphyxiation after a fire filled the prison with thick
smoke. In May, at least 55 prisoners were killed when fights broke out
across four prisons in the state of Amazonas. Brazil has the
third-largest prison population in the world. Human rights groups say
prisons are massively overcrowded and rife with mistreatment and
violence. The Altamira jail, where Monday's riot took place, housed more
than twice its capacity of prisoners. President Jair Bolsonaro, who
campaigned on a law-and-order platform, has said he would "stuff prison
cells with criminals."


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