![Coordinated riots leave 31 dead in Guatemalan prisons](https://www.jurist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jurist-white-text.png)
[JURIST] A series of almost simultaneous attacks and riots in seven of Guatemala's prisons Monday has left 31 inmates dead and many more injured. Guatemalan Interior Minister Carlos Vielmann [official website] said the gun and knife attacks at prisons around Southern Guatemala show the power that gangs have to spread terror. Vielmann says the inmates were able to plan the attacks by cellular phones, messages and guns passed by visitors to imprisoned gang members. Vielmann also pointed to the constant communication between gang members, saying that the Internet helps them coordinate actions not only within Guatemala, but also with El Salvador, Honduras and the US. AP has more. From Guatemala City, El Periodico has local coverage [in Spanish]