Inmates in the maximum security penal colony in Nevyansk, Sverdlovsk region, have barricaded themselves in and are demanding the removal of the prison's officials, who they accuse of authorizing beatings, Interfax reported Thursday.
The riot in colony No. 46 was triggered by an attack on two inmates by other prisoners on Wednesday, Ura.ru reported.
The victims barricaded themselves into one of the prison's facilities and hung handmade banners out of the windows appealing for help, the report said.
One of the rioting inmates posted a video statement describing the overall atmosphere of fear and violence in the penal colony, allegedly promoted by the administration.
The convicts also said they were illegally deprived of deliveries from home and meetings with relatives, according to the wife of one of the prisoners.
Meanwhile, the Sverdlovsk region Federal Penal Service's office is investigating the riot at the colony, about 1,800 kilometers east of Moscow, Interfax reported.
Its spokesman, Alexander Levchenko, said he was not aware of any barricades at the colony and noted that the rioters had not declared a hunger strike.
"The overall situation in the colony is stable and manageable," he said.
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