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19 Killed in Venezuelan Prison Riot


Inmates' relatives wait for news outside Rodeo I prison after a riot at the prison in Guatire on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, June 13, 2011
Inmates' relatives wait for news outside Rodeo I prison after a riot at the prison in Guatire on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, June 13, 2011

Venezuela's minister of interior and justice says the death toll from a Sunday prison riot has risen to 19.

Tareck El Aissami said Tuesday that as many as 20 inmates were wounded in the violence that erupted at the El Rodeo prison.

Overcrowding and violence are common in Venezuelan prisons. President Hugo Chavez's government has established a new ministry dedicated exclusively to prisons and allocated nearly $100 million to "humanize" prison conditions.

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