Skirmishes between prisoners and guards are underway in a prison in the Irkutsk region (eastern Siberia), where a fire was also raging on Friday, authorities said.
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Several prisoners from the penal colony n. 15 of the city of Angarsk, about fifty kilometers north of Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, smashed surveillance cameras on Thursday, attacked a guard and cut their forearms, regional prison services.
Criminal fire"
In a video released Friday by the regional investigation committee, we see several prison buildings on fire, impressive flames and swirls of smoke rising at night. It is an "arson started by prisoners. The riot has continued since last night, "said the press service of the investigation committee at the Ria Novosti agency.
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In a video released Thursday by human rights group "For Human Rights", a prisoner claims to have been beaten and to have his veins cut in protest. An activist from the rights group "Siberia Without Torture" told AFP that riot forces surrounded the prison, equipped with water cannons. "Now two more colonies are preparing for a riot," he told AFP.
The NGO “Verdict Public” claimed that access to the site had been denied to independent observers and lawyers due to restrictive measures to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, which would prevent them from verifying official information.