Elmer Fernández: Justice Minister reports peace after the murder of the director of La Modelo prison: “The situation is not out of control”

Justice Minister Nestor Osuna has sent a message to avoid panic. In a press conference at 6 a.m. this Friday, barely 12 hours after the infamous murder of the director of La Modelo prison in Bogotá, he combined a sense of sadness about the murder with a sober look at the state of the prison. “The situation in the prisons is not out of control, discipline is in place,” he told reporters from dozens of media outlets. Osuna refers to the strategy the government is developing to tackle crimes taking place in prisons, particularly extortion, which led to a series of retaliatory measures and the declaration of a prison emergency in February this year.

The minister reminded that retired police colonel Elmer Fernández, who ran the Bogotá prison a month ago, received a booklet last Thursday and the next day he reported the incident to the prosecutor’s office. “The process was just beginning,” Osuna said. He pointed out that under existing regulations, “protection with an armored car or escort is not provided for prison directors unless there is a threat,” which explains why Fernandez arrived in an unarmored vehicle and without an escort. Why did you travel to the capital? ,

On February 12, Osuna, an academic at Externado University who is holding the portfolio through August 2022, declared a prison emergency. The decision was taken after the murder of prison guard Jesús Cárdenas Barrera and guard Carlos Sandoval in Cúcuta while leaving the prison in Cartago de Indias, in addition to the murders of their colleagues Nancy Canencio in Medellín, Juan Rosero in La Plata (Huila) and Diego Espinosa. This decision was taken after the attacks against. ) and Andrés Agredo in Jamundí (Valle del Cauca). This Friday the Minister assured that the tension is due to the activities being carried out against gangs that continue to commit crimes from prisons. “More strictness, police power, the dismantling of criminal gangs (…) these things have come to the fore,” he said.

He also indicated that, in any case, the state retains control. “We are not facing a situation of overflow or chaos,” says the head of the portfolio, whose duties include managing the country’s prisons. For his part, retired Colonel Daniel Gutiérrez, director of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC), the unit in charge of managing the prisons, assured that “if they overflowed, there would be riots, and that has not happened.” “We have permanent prison control.”

Despite this, the Justice Minister has stated that 506 threats have been received against INPEC officials over the past two years, and 63 of them have resulted in special security measures being taken by the Unit for National Security (UNP), the national unit responsible for security. People who are at particular risk. “The process of granting these security measures is regulated and expensive,” argued Osuna, who then explained that on Thursday night he had agreed with the director of that institution, Augusto Rodríguez, to modify the process if threats of this severity arise. Had expressed. “With this terrible experience that we have experienced, it makes us accelerate the processes and strengthen the protection of INPEC officials who are particularly at risk.” When asked if any officials were responsible for what happened to Fernandez, the minister replied: “The responsibility lies with the murderers.”

The murder of Elmer Fernandez is a huge shock. Minister Osuna assured that his first emotions when faced with the news were “sadness, frustration, anger and despair”, but that this did not mean he would “take action blindly.” He said that as a Colombian state, they are not going to succumb to “any unreasonable request of any criminal structure”. He recalled that Elmer Fernández had been director of the Guaduas prison for several years since the previous government, and in recognition of his work and to facilitate the management of his family problem in Bogotá, he was appointed to La Modelo prison. 40 days ago. Osuna said, “Except in the case of Pedro Pluma, his strategy of random searches and transfers was reflected in prison discipline.” And he said that Fernández “had taken these measures with great judgment and dedication.”

For his part, the director of INPEC, retired Colonel Daniel Gutiérrez, assured that 27 prison directors have been threatened, and that the security procedures for these cases are unknown. He also said that Pedro Pluma, identified as possibly responsible for Fernandez’s murder, has been sentenced to five years in prison for various crimes such as theft, weapons smuggling and prisoner escape, of which he will serve two years. Has served his sentence. Like Minister Osuna, Gutiérrez assured that there is no situation of anarchy.

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