Chapo and La Barbie Supposedly Initiated a 1000 Inmate Hunger Strike

Borderland Beat Chivis Martinez

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, arrested in February, is in solitary confinement at Altiplano Maximum Security Prison. Édgar Valdez Villarreal, aka "La Barbie" is in the same prison. The two at one time worked together, but later became enemies when La Barbie jumped ship to Beltran-Leyva. But their joint interest in the conditions of their confinement apparently trump old feuds, as the two have engineered a hunger among 1,000 of the prison's inmates, to protest the violation of their human rights. It began Wednesday, and will continue indefinitely.

Among the complaints:

 inadequate medical attention and not providing medication rotten food (20 inmates got sick last week from eating spoiled chicken.)  

not regularly laundering their prison uniforms no underwear                                           no access to commissary to buy toiletries withholding of family visits and phone calls

 In May, at another Mexican maximum security prison, 450 inmates got food poisoning from rotten or contaminated food served during family visits. (State prisons in the U.S. also have this problem.)

The two are not housed near each other or allowed to communicate with each other, and both are  in solitary confinement, yet they were still able to  develop their planned hunger strike and implement it?

This isn't La Barbie's first hunger strike at Altiplano. Nor are they the first to complain about Altiplano. One of the major druglords of the 70's and 80's, Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, has been at Altiplano for over 20 years. His family wrote a letter with similar complaints that was published in 2011.

 They claim he is being held in "inhuman" circumstances in a special lockdown section amid "unhealthy conditions, humidity, a lack of ventilation, bad odors and darkness."

Note: Whereas some of the prisons have horrific conditions,  Altiplano No1 has a good reputation.  It is the only true supermax prison and the only one without an escape.  I wrote an article of the Altiplano Prison No 1. (follow the hyperlink to view)

Capos, including Chapo while at the Jalisco prison he escaped from, are used to being able to pay for luxuries such as private stocked bars, inside apartment like cells, and the company of women at whim.  I am not sure if this article, published by Proceso, is true, especially since all cells are solitary, but I do recall La Barbies 2011 hunger strike.  His complaints were many, he was kept in solitary confinement, rarely allowed out, food was delivered to the cell, not allowed much exercise, no contact with others, visits restricted.

Sounds like prison.

He resumed eating.....

Sources: Proceso, Borderland Beat, Talkleft & Siskiyou_kid