El Sexto Prison

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El Sexto Prison
The prison during the mutiny
Map
LocationLima District
StatusClosed (prison)
Security classMedium security
Capacity300 (1981)
Opened1904
ClosedMarch 8, 1986
Managed byRepublican Guard
CityLima
CountryPeru

El Sexto Prison (

Alfonso Ugarte Avenue,[2] it took its name from the fact that the sixth station of the Republican Guard was located there. It is best known for the violent riot that took place for fourteen hours on March 27, 1984, which left 22 dead and 10 wounded.[3]

It is currently known as Alfonso Ugarte Police Station (Spanish: Comisaría PNP Alfonso Ugarte) and is operated by the National Police of Peru, no longer serving as a prison since its closure by Alan García in 1986.[4]

History

The prison was built in 1904, serving as the destination for political prisoners, such as José María Arguedas, during the early 20th century. Arguedas' experience inspired his novel of the same name, published in 1961. Three years before the riot, a violent incident took place between gangs from Lima proper and Callao, leaving 31 people dead, among them 29 suffocated and asphyxiated.[2]

Mutiny

Around 10 a.m. on March 27, 1984, inmate Víctor "Carioco" Ayala stabbed an employee carrying food, starting a revolt. Fellow inmates Luis "Pilatos" García Mendoza and Eduardo "Lalo" Centenaro Fernández, alongside ten other inmates, took over the prison with pistols, knives and dynamite, taking eleven civilians and three other inmates as hostages.[2][3] The events were shown on national television,[5] with news stations Panamericana (Channel 5) and América (Channel 4) broadcasting from 11:15 a.m.[2][3]

On two separate occasions, two of the hostages were injured after being sent to the prison's rooftop in order to be seen by the broadcasters: one was sprayed with kerosene at 1:53 p.m. and another one shot in the abdomen at 2:56 p.m. The former died of his injuries on April 2, while the latter was successfully treated.[2][3]

Then president

Quecha for "those who can do anything") arrived later at the scene, with the prison now surrounded on the streets and the rooftops.[6]

At 9:50 p.m., the Republican Guard announced that a police van would be delivered as per the prisoners' request. Unbeknownst to the prisoners, the van was occupied by law enforcement special forces, who opened fire once the light had been cut off. One hostage, a prisoner, was executed by the hostage takers, and another one was shot in the jaw but survived. By 12:30 a.m. on March 28, the mutiny had ended.[2] Twenty-two people (including two hostages) had been killed, while ten people were injured.[3]

On March 8, 1986, two years after the mutiny, then president Alan García formally closed the prison in a ceremony where he was accompanied by his father, a former inmate of the prison.[4]

Notable inmates

See also

References

  1. ISSN 1819-2939
    .
  2. ^
    Trome
    . 2023-03-27.
  3. ^ a b c d e Batalla, Carlos (2019-03-27). "El Sexto: a 35 años del peor motín carcelario del Perú". El Comercio.
  4. ^ a b c d Cabanillas, Carlos (2018-12-06). "Alan en la Cárcel". Caretas. Archived from the original on 2019-07-09. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  5. ^ "Motín sangriento en el penal El Sexto, de Lima". El País. 1984-03-28.
  6. ^ a b Delgado Zela, Valeria (2022-05-15). "Un hombre en llamas, otro ejecutado de un balazo y un tercero acuchillado: 14 horas de terror en el motín del penal El Sexto". Infobae.
  7. ^ Batalla, Carlos (2023-03-29). "El Sexto: la historia del peor motín en un penal de Lima donde hubo torturas, heridos y muertos". El Comercio.
  8. Trome
    .
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