The warden and deputy warden of a Chiapas jail have been suspended after a video of a party taking place in the jail was circulated on social media.
The 45-second video shows prisoners and visitors drinking alcohol and singing along to a live band. According to the news agency Agencia55.mx, the celebration took place in the Amate state prison in Cintalapa.
Chiapas Security Secretary Gabriela Zepeda Soto announced that the officials have been suspended while the state confirms where and when the video was recorded. If officials are found to have been involved, they will face administrative or criminal sanctions.
The warden and his deputy denied having knowledge of any party in the jail.
The Amate prison has a population of 3,800 prisoners, and a capacity of almost 5,400.
On Friday, state officials said the party was organized by Gehú Ruiz Rincón, also known as “El G-U.” He is serving a 52-year sentence for kidnapping his sister-in-law and burying her alive in his yard in Tuxtla Gutiérrez in 2014, allegedly at the request of his brother.
The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) performed a survey of conditions at Chiapas prisons in April and found Amate had the best conditions in the state, and gave it a rating of 6.48 points out of 10.
However, the CNDH also found that the prison had problems such as understaffing, human rights violations and criminal activities like extortion and bribery.
Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp)
