Honduras hands prison control to military police, expands emergency powers after deadly riot

The relative of an inmate reacts while others try to comfort her as they wait for news about their loved ones outside the Centro Femenino de Adaptacion Social (CEFAS) women's prison following deadly riot in Tamara, on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduras will return control of most of the country's penal system to the military police for the next year, the Central American country's presidential office said late on Wednesday, a day after a prison riot claimed nearly 50 lives.

The measure is part of a fresh crackdown on crime which includes expanding a so-called state of exception suspending some constitutional rights to cover more territories over an extended time-frame, and a greater role for the armed forces in security efforts nationwide, the government said.