The PP deputy for Cantabria, Félix de las Cuevas, has registered in Congress a request for a hearing addressed to the Secretary General of Penitentiary Institutions, Ángel Luis Ortiz, following the mass brawl that occurred last week in the El Dueso prison, in Santoña.
With this request, the popular parliamentarian aims for the prison official to detail what actions the central government plans to implement to reinforce the protection of officials and the rest of the workers at the center after the "serious" incident, in which between 25 and 30 inmates participated, according to reports from the sector's unions.
"What happened in El Dueso cannot be normalized. The government of (Pedro) Sánchez must provide explanations and act now to guarantee the safety of officials, and equip the center with the resources it needs," stated De las Cuevas, who is also part of the Interior Commission of Congress.
In a press release, the PP leader denounced the "abandonment" by the central Executive in the face of the assaults suffered by prison employees and recalled the incident that occurred last May in El Dueso, when two officials were attacked by an inmate, having to be treated in the Emergency Room for several injuries and "with hardly any consequences for the aggressor, as he only remained in isolation for two hours."
He added that this scenario is compounded by the lack of doctors in the penitentiary center, after the retirement of the entire staff and the fact that the seven planned positions have not been filled, as also reported by the workers' representatives. Therefore, the Cantabrian deputy of the PP has also demanded that the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, restore the health positions "as soon as possible."
"The medical service in prisons is essential. The absence of doctors violates the rights of inmates and increases job insecurity by forcing officials to assume roles that do not correspond to them and manage critical situations without medical support," he stated, concluding that "they cannot continue working without the means and protection they need."