A brawl at a prison Nizhny Novgorod region prison facility for inmates suffering from tuberculosis has left one dead and more than 20 injured, the regional branch of Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service said Thursday.
A massive fight involving some 100 convicts erupted Wednesday night at Medical Correctional Facility No. 3 in the town of Prudy, located some 500 kilometers northeast of Moscow. An inmate who had taken part in the clashes died on the operating table as doctors attempted to treat his injuries, regional authorities said in a statement. Fifteen other inmates were hospitalized, eight of whom remain in serious condition.
The convicts lit two fires, and broke some of the facility's furniture and security cameras, according to prison officials.
No additional security measures have been implemented since the brawl, the statement said. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the facility's civilian staff members were asked to vacate their workplace due to safety concerns.
Prison officials later met with the convicts, who reportedly demanded that the conditions of their detention be more lenient.
An investigation led by the Federal Penitentiary Service is underway to elucidate the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Interfax news agency quoted a state-appointed rights commission as saying prisoners at the facility have complained about "unlawful" actions of officials there before.
Mediazona, a news website set up to cover prisoner abuse, quoted inmates saying that TB-afflicted prisoners have been forced to work up to 12 hours a day.
(MT, AP)
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