Prisoners at Verona's Montorio Prison
went on hunger strike Tuesday citing a wave of suicides that has
claimed the lives of five inmates there since November, part of
a wider spate that has seen 15 prisoners take their own lives in
Italian jails this year.
"This is a form of non-violent protest against the dramatic
conditions the Verona institute is enduring including
overcrowding, the almost total lack of work activities, and the
escalation in suicides and suicide attempts," said the local
inmates rights group Bars of Sugar.
Premier Giorgia Meloni said Monday the suicide spate must be
countered with more prison places and more staff hirings,
rejecting opposition suggestions to ease overcrowding by
boosting alternatives to prison detention and decriminalising
many crimes including minor drugs offences.
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