2 officers, which means there is one guard for every 181 prisoners. In view of the poor security conditions in the prison, the internal custody staff “refuse to enter the internal area of the prison before the last count of the prisoners has been completed, and only do so in company with the National Guard"; c) Between January 2006 and January 2007, violent incidents have taken place in the Uribana Prison, with a total of 80 violent deaths and 213 injured, most of whom were wounded with knives and firearms. The highest number of deaths and wounded nationwide in 2006 was recorded in that prison. During January 2007, violent events took place, leaving 18 dead and at least 15 injured. The most recent events of violence took place on January 20, 2007, resulting in two injured, one with a knife and the other with a firearm; d) The events included a series of hunger strikes by the inmates as a form of protest against the poor detention conditions, the overcrowding, and the alleged mistreatment by the National Guard officers, and as a demonstration against the procedural delays. In addition, in September 2006, inmates took a group of visiting relatives as hostages, and during another strike in October that year, approximately 500 relatives, including children, "decided to hold themselves as hostages and stay in the prison facility in support of the inmates' claims"; e) The high level of violence in the facilities is due to a number of contributing factors, such as the possession of weapons including firearms by the inmates; inadequate and poorly trained security staff unable to assure peaceful living in the facilities; the alleged ill treatment afforded the inmates; and the excessive use of force by the authorities responsible for controlling the mutinies; f) acts of violence, threats between inmates, mutinies, hunger strikes, fights, beatings and alleged torture take place often without the authorities having adopted measures to address the problem; g) The lack of security also affects visitors, “since situations have been reported in which visitors have been killed or injured”. Another worrisome aspect concerns the physical integrity and safety of visitors, who are allegedly subjected to humiliating searches; h) Inmates live under appalling conditions that generate or intensify discontent, and without appropriate control or security measures; and i) The Ombudsman of the state of Lara and the Ombudsman of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela have mentioned several of the situations referred to above. 3. The legal grounds upon which the Commission requests for provisional measures, including the following: a) The events described are serious enough for the Court to take immediate action in order to protect the life and assure humane treatment to the persons mentioned in this request; b) Pursuant to the Court's prior decisions and to international instruments, the State is the guarantor of persons deprived of liberty. Some of the