Last week a violent incident in Bolivia's Chonchocoro prison, some 20 miles outside of La Paz, opened a veritable can of worms that ended up with the head honcho of the jail getting sacked. It all started when a hand grenade was set off by a prisoner that injured three other prisoners. This was, apparently, part of a power struggle inside the prison between jailmate factions that has seen several deaths in the last few months.
Prison inspectors turned up at the jail and conducted a full inspection. But sadly for the Director they decided to inspect the cell of Luis García Meza, the dictator that ran Bolivia in 1980/1981, was sentenced to 30 years prison in the 90s for an armful of human rights crimes committed while in power and extradited from Brazil in 1995 to serve his time. Since then he's been locked up in Chonchocoro. His sentence states that he should not benefit from any special privileges. Also, in every annual report sent by the (now ex) prison director, García Meza was said to be treated like any other prisoner.
Prison inspectors turned up at the jail and conducted a full inspection. But sadly for the Director they decided to inspect the cell of Luis García Meza, the dictator that ran Bolivia in 1980/1981, was sentenced to 30 years prison in the 90s for an armful of human rights crimes committed while in power and extradited from Brazil in 1995 to serve his time. Since then he's been locked up in Chonchocoro. His sentence states that he should not benefit from any special privileges. Also, in every annual report sent by the (now ex) prison director, García Meza was said to be treated like any other prisoner.
But when the inspectors opened his cell door, this is what they found:
Bookshelves, TV, a barbecue, oven, a fully equipped gymnasium, nice kitchen with table, cutlery (cool knives!) etc, a private telephone and even a sauna. Inspectors were quoted as being "impressed", but not impressed enough to leave things the way they are. García Meza is now in a normal cell and living the life of penitence as demanded.