ZAGREB, Aug 28 (Hina) - About forty prisoners in the Lepoglava penitentiary on Wednesday discontinued a hunger strike which started four days ago, when they stopped taking food and started demanding longer recreation periods, better
treatment by the prison police and better food in the jail canteen. The strike was discontinued after some of the prisoners' demands were met.
ZAGREB, Aug 28 (Hina) - About forty prisoners in the Lepoglava
penitentiary on Wednesday discontinued a hunger strike which
started four days ago, when they stopped taking food and started
demanding longer recreation periods, better treatment by the
prison police and better food in the jail canteen. The strike was
discontinued after some of the prisoners' demands were met. #L#
This was confirmed to Hina by the head of the prison department with
the Justice Ministry, Josip Hehet, who explained that the prisoners
were not on a hunger strike but only refused food from the prison
canteen, however, they continued to eat canned food in their
cells.
He added that warden Stjepan Loparic held a meeting with the
prisoners this morning and promised that conditions in the prison
would be improved. Recreation time was extended immediately from
two to three hours, a policeman known to be a little more rigid was
transferred to another post in the jail, and better food was
promised for the canteen, he said.
Around 1 p.m. today the prisoners appeared in the canteen and ate
lunch normally, Hehet said.
He denied information Hina obtained from the family of one of the
prisoners that the reason for the strike was the fact that one of the
prisoners had been beaten up by the prison police.
Hehet reported that some seven days ago the police searched a
prisoner's cell and the police dog on that occasion discovered a
packet with powder which the police thought was drugs.
The prisoner, J.V., grabbed the packet and threw it into his mouth
and the police were compelled to use force to prevent him from
swallowing the matter and handcuffed him, Hehet said.
Asked whether the prisoner had been beaten by ten policemen, as
reported to Hina, Hehet answered that this was not true and that the
police had justifiably used force against the prisoner who resisted
handcuffing, in an effort to save his life because he had managed to
swallow the packet.
"This was a justified response by the police to prevent the inflow
of drugs into the jail," Hehet said.
He added that the prisoner was currently being treated in the jail
hospital and that his condition was stable.
(hina) sp rml sb