Inmates of Makhachkala SIZO go on hunger strike against custody conditions

A relative of one of the protesting inmates told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that some 40-60 persons kept in Makhachkala SIZO (pre-trial prison), dissatisfied with their custody conditions, went on a hunger strike.

The message about it also arrived from a reader of the "Caucasian Knot", who made use of the edition's SMS-service.

The hunger-strikers demand to stop "humiliating and insulting" them and respect their rights. "We've gone on a hunger strike; tomorrow the whole prison will support us. We'll stop only when our demands are met," runs the SMS-message.

According to the author of the message, the hunger strike began yesterday, on July 6, and its reason was in the change of the bosses of the SIZO.

"They changed the deputy head of the SIZO, a certain Daud Daudov came to the post; he tightened the rules of detention and insults and humiliates the feelings of believers," said a local resident.

According to his story, believers are deprived of their religious literature; they are handcuffed; parcels from relatives are not allowed; and they are forcibly shaved off their beards. This attitude is applied only to the prisoners convicted under Article 208 (participation in an illegal armed formation – IAF) of the Russian Criminal Code.

So far, the "Caucasian Knot" has no comments from the officials of the SIZO or the MIA of Dagestan.