Inmates stage mutiny in Chernokozovo colony, their relatives assert

Relatives of the convicts who serve their terms in Corrective Colony No. 2, located in the village of Chernokozovo, Naur District of Chechnya, report a riot staged by the inmates.

They raised a revolt after discovering that the cells intended for their meetings with relatives are equipped with video surveillance cameras that make permanent recording, a relative of one of the convicts told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Inmates expressed their outrage; and some went on hunger strike and refused to take food and water," the relative said on condition of anonymity.

Another relative of an inmate, who also asked, for safety reasons, not to be named, said today that the riot in the colony involved at least 100 inmates.

"The video cameras were found by chance; and the fact quickly spread throughout the colony. Today prisoners have burnt down their mattresses, refuse to go out for check and take food," said the relative.

According to his version, members of the Public Oversight Commission (POC) of Chechnya have arrived in the colony to check the information about the rebellion.

However, as Malika Omarova, a member of the POC and the leader of the "Union of Women of Chechnya", told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, they received a signal about the unrest in the colony, but it received no confirmation.