17 and was compiled directly by the petitioners themselves. The following are passages of the testimony that describe the general conditions at the San Pedro Sula Prison and in Cellblock 19 specifically: 1. Testimony of Virginia Alfaro Calvo: The cellblock in which the fire broke out is part of the prison. The physical conditions are deplorable and fall far short of the minimum conditions that international standards set. The interior of the prison is a combination of 21 cellblocks, or “houses” as they are called. The prison’s estimated total capacity is one thousand, although the prison had 2,081 inmates at the time of the fire. […] Cellblock [No. 19] has a perimeter wall made of plastered block, with metallic bars on the upper frontal portion. The cellblock has just one entrance with a metal gate; its latch is made of the same material as the gate. […] Inside, there are no openings for ventilation: just one door and one window. There is no lighting or ventilation. When one enters the cellblock, which is always dark –even by day-, the heat inside is insufferable, especially before the Cellblock had air conditioners. The odor is unpleasant, partly because of the overcrowding and partly because of the substances being smoked (tobacco, marijuana …). The beds are in disarray and the curtains appear to be an attempt to intimidate […] As for the health and hygiene, and specifically the potable water system, it is, in my view, inadequate as it functions by way of a cistern and requires a pump. The system they have even now [June 2008] does not have the capacity to meet the existing demand. In Cellblock 19, like elsewhere in the prison, the water pressure is higher at certain times of the night. So the basins and buckets are filled as a way of storing the water that will be used during the day. Water is one of the privileged items in the prison system and is even sold by the power groups. […] The electrical system in the San Pedro Sula Prison is by definition unsafe and does not have the capacity for the existing demand. Temporary and improvised switches have been rigged, with no one overseeing safety concerns […] Again, this negligence is a function of privileges; there is no regulation of the increased demand; while electrical devices are brought in to be used by the inmates, the electrical system does not have the most rudimentary safety features. This hasn’t changed since the fire. The inmates continue to use as much energy as before and continue to install switches. The physical conditions of the Prison are just as unsafe and improvised. It has neither the space nor the infrastructure to house 2000 inmates, much less to do so in a manner that guarantees the safety of the various groups. […] The overcrowding is still worse among the gang population, as they are housed in improvised places to segregate them, supposedly for their safety. The lack of security inside the prison is disturbing, as some of the inmates have firearms like pistols and even military weaponry like grenades. There are makeshift weapons as well. […] From the standpoint of security, it is also disturbing that the prison guards do not have antiriot equipment and nonlethal weapons. Another security problem is containing or repelling outbreaks of violence with lethal weapons, as it imperils the safety of the inmate population and visitors, some of whom may be children. […] At the San Pedro Sula Prison, the State does not conduct any educational program or activity. It is the Catholic Church that runs a primary school, a high school, courses in English, vocational training courses […] For gang members, access to these services is virtually impossible, as they are confined to enclosed areas and are never allowed out into the common areas.