Makhachkala SIZO hunger-strikers intend to stand till all their demands are fulfilled

The hunger strike in the SIZO-1 (Pre-trial prison) of Makhachkala has been lasting for 6 day already. Relatives of the detainees claim that the administration of the SIZO ask the participants of the protest action to stop the hunger strike in return for promises to replace the bars on the windows and check the effect of jammers of mobile communication on health state of inmates. The SIZO denies the fact of the hunger strike.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been told by a relative of a participant of the protest action that "the hunger strike continues, and every day, new inmates join it." "It is difficult to say, how many people are now taking part in the protest action, but not less than 300 persons."

According to the source, on July 10, the administration of the SIZO met the participants of the hunger strike and demanded to stop the protest action "in return for promises to replace the bars on the windows and check the effect of jammers of mobile communication on health state of inmates."

Meanwhile, the Dagestani Regional Public Organization "Pravozaschita" (Advocacy) received an appeal from one of the hunger-strikers, who reported on its causes. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been told at the "Pravozaschita" that in his appeal, inmate Nariman Aliev, "requests to immediately respond to his complaint, since the inmates have been for the fourth day on official hunger strike."

According to the very text of the Nariman Aliev's appeal, personnel of the SIZO-1 of Makhachkala "commit arbitrariness with regard to the inmates, kept in the SIZO (hereinafter inmates); they constantly abuse their power and commit unlawful and criminal actions against the inmates."

"Several times a week, we can hear, how they take an inmate for conversation and beat him, using truncheons and electric shockers, and sometimes they even use tear gas, according to them, 'just for fun'. All that arbitrariness takes place not without knowledge of the Chief of Department of the Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN) of the Republic of Dagestan, the Chief of the SIZO and other responsible officials, of whom I will speak later and give evidence at personal meeting," says the appeal, addressed to the name of the human rights defenders.

According to the author of the letter, he has repeatedly filed complaints to various authorities; "however, they were not passed to proper address." The author of the appeal writes: "When at another provocation and use of physical violence against me I stated that I would file complaints against them and that I would bring them to justice, I was summoned for conversation by the head of the Security Service of the Republic of Dagestan, who threatened to send me to a camp where I would got tuberculosis, or to subject me to such beating that I would never return alive, or to plant drugs to me and sentence to other 10 years of imprisonment."