It is accepted that prisons are places of violence, brutality and arbitrary justice, state institutions of repression and intimidation. However during this pandemic, prisons have become places of death sentences through the covid19 virus. Over crowded, insanitary conditions, poor or non-existent health care, is the perfect mixture for the spread of the virus, with the inmates having no possibility of self isolating. Cold blooded inhumanity, upheld by laws and regulations administered by the state. Like all repression, there comes a time when the only road to survival is rebellion.
The following from AMW English:
219 prisoners escaped from Moroto Prison on Wednesday after prisoners were exposed to coronavirus. One soldier was killed by prison rebels, who stormed an armory and seized over 15 weapons and ammunition.
Only seven out of 219 prisoners who escaped from the prison in north-eastern Uganda have been recaptured.
Two prisoners have also been murdered during their escape attempt.
The prison, which usually imprisons 600 people, is on the foothills of Mount Moroto, on the edge of the town.
The escape was triggered by the transfer of 60 other prisoners to Jinja Referral Hospital for treatment after they tested positive for COVID-19.
There was exchange of fire between security and the prison rebels who were scaling up mountain Moroto.
The prisoners who escaped had been tested, but their results were withheld, leading to their decision to escape.
As prisons around the world are turned into death traps by guards who infect prisoners with the deadly coronavirus, prison rebels will increasingly be forced to escape and fight back in order to survive.
