The director of Colombia’s prison authority said Thursday he has received more than 400 death threats. The announcement came a week after his deputy director resigned over threats.
According to General Gustavo Adolfo Ricaurte, director of prison authority INPEC, his office has received the hundreds of death threats through mail, email and telephone.
According to the prison chief, angry prisoners who have had benefits removed or were transferred to other prisons to avoid corruption are behind the constant flow of death threats.
“You don’t ignore the threats, you have to protect the family and take protective measures,” Ricaurte was quoted by local media as saying, adding that the theats “come with the job and if you concede to anonymous death threats, you obviously can’t do your job.”
Ricaurte’s former second in command at INPEC, General Pompy Pinzon, resigned last week exactly because of death threats. According to Pinzon, the threats began after he had taken measures to end a series of privileges acquired by neo-paramilitary commander “Fritanga” before his extradition to the US.
MORE: Colombia Prison Executive Resigns Over Threats