5 killed in riot at Mexican prison

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Five men were killed in a fight between inmates at a prison in Mexico’s Gulf coast state of Tabasco, authorities said Friday.

Four of the five inmates killed in the riot late Thursday were on trial or serving sentences for rape, homicide or other violent crimes, the state police department said.

Police said control of the prison had been regained, and that nobody else had been injured or escaped. About 16 prisoners were detained in relation with the killings.

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The police department blamed a "fight between groups" from different cell blocks.

A Mexican flag waves in front of The National Palace, the office of the president, in Mexico City's main square, the Zocalo, at sunrise, April 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

But photos and videos apparently made by inmates and posted on social media suggested the dead men may have been killed in retaliation for extorting money from fellow inmates.

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If confirmed, it would not be the first time that prisons in Mexico have erupted in violence for similar reasons. Inmates who are apparently connected to gangs with members on the outside routinely try to demand protection payments from prisoners. The gangs threaten prisoners or their families with violence to enforce payment demands.

In 2022, 56 inmates were injured in a mass brawl at the Apodaca prison, just outside the northern city of Monterrey, which involved complaints that some prisoners were trying to extort money from others.

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It is part of a broader problem in Mexico in which people still on trial are often held in the same prisons with convicted inmates. Moreover, the poor supervision of many Mexican prisons often allow inmates to essentially control parts of the facilities.