Guatemala, 18 Jan, 2026: Guatemalan authorities deployed police and soldiers to regain control of three prisons on January 17 after rioting inmates took at least 46 people hostage, mostly guards along with a psychologist. Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda blamed the coordinated disturbances on the Barrio 18 gang, claiming they were protesting the revocation of privileges for their leader and demanding his transfer to better conditions.
Guatemala prisons
Villeda firmly rejected any negotiations, calling the actions blackmail and refusing to restore privileges. At the Renovacion 1 maximum-security prison in Escuintla, masked inmates watched from towers as emergency services stood ready. No deaths or injuries were reported among hostages. This incident marks one of the largest prison hostage crises in recent Guatemalan history.
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