Paraguayan Prison Riot Reveals Unusual Political Angle
A riot at the Paraguayan prison of San Pedro, brought under control over the last few hours, was surprisingly supported by the prison’s director, replaced for criticizing the impeachment of President Fernando Lugo and the current government.
About 216 inmates, among them 16 women, took control of the facility located 300 kilometers of this capital and staged a loud protest, burning beds and mattresses, and isolating guards.
Although similar insubordination in prisons throughout the world usually has to do with criticism against prison authorities, this time the convicts were protesting the forced resignation of the jail’s director Jose Luis Benegas.
The worrisome situation brought not only police reinforcements, but also top officials from the Justice Ministry, including Justice Deputy Minister Carlos Aquino, to try to solve the problem.
Another interesting aspect, according to reports, is that the outgoing director carried out a mediation with rebellious prisoners to achieve their abandonment of the protest, realized after a thorough search carried out by the police.
But it was Benegas who took responsibility for clarifying the reasons for his dismissal, noting that he had been appointed to the post by President Lugo, opposed the lawsuit against him, and was critical of the current government.
He said that prisoners had mentioned the humanity with which they were treated and the transparency during his administration, where the main task was social reinsertion of the prisoners.
Bomb Threat Causes Airport Evacuation in Texas
A bomb threat at San Antonio International Airport in the U.S state of Texas caused the evacuation of both terminals there on Wednesday afternoon, said local media.
The alarm was canceled by press time.
The evacuation of about 1,000 passengers began just after 2 p.m. local time after the airport received a call from a man who said that three bombs were in the airport’s parking lot, according to the website of The Houston Chronicle, a local English newspaper.
The male caller told the airport that he had left luggage with the bombs at the airport and the airport was about to blow up, a police spokeswoman was quoted as saying.
Twenty-five buses were sent to the airport to help evacuate the passengers and the buses were used as temporary shelter. Firefighters also rushed to the airport, and more than a dozen of San Antonio Fire Department units, including a bomb squad and a hazardous materials team, were also at the scene to investigate the incident.
U.N. Chief Announces Resignation of Special Envoy to Syria
The Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon announced here Thursday the resignation of the UN-Arab League Joint Special Envoy for Syria Kofi Annan.
“It is with deep regret that I have to announce the resignation of the UN-League of Arab States (AL) Joint Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Kofi Annan,” Ban said in a statement released here by his spokesperson.
Annan has informed Ban and Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Nabil Elaraby of his intention not to renew his mandate when it expires on Aug. 31, 2012, the statement said.
Ban said he wished to express his deepest gratitude to Annan for the “determined and courageous” efforts he has made as the joint special envoy.
Ban and Elaraby jointly announced the appointment of former UN chief Kofi Annan as the two organizations’ joint special envoy on the Syrian crisis on Feb. 23.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Feb. 16 demanding the heads of the UN and the AL to appoint a special envoy to Syria, a country which has been troubled for months by tension and violence between anti-government protesters and the forces of President Bashar Assad.
“Kofi Annan deserves our profound admiration for the selfless way in which he has put his formidable skills and prestige to this most difficult and potentially thankless of assignments,” Ban said.
The UN chief now is in consultations with Elaraby on prompt appointment of a successor who can carry on this crucial peacemaking efforts.
Dialogue and diplomacy as the means to peacefully solve the Syrian crisis, as spelled out in the six-point plan proposed by Annan, has been not taken, even though it still remains the best hope for the people of Syria, Ban pointed out.
“Both the government and the opposition forces continue to demonstrate their determination to rely on ever-increasing violence. In addition, the persistent divisions within the Security Council have themselves become an obstacle to diplomacy, making the work of any mediator vastly more difficult,” he said.
The UN is committed to pursue through diplomacy an end to the violence and a Syrian-led solution that meets the legitimate democratic aspirations of its people, Ban noted.
The Russian envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin told reporters here that he “regretted” the resignation of Annan and offered gratitude to his mediation efforts.
Churkin said one of the reasons that Annan’s diplomatic efforts have gone through many difficulties is that his appeal for no further militarization of the Syrian conflicts was not really heeded by some influential countries in international community.