Protestors slash wrists in Russian prison

Several hundred inmates of a jail in western Russia slashed themselves in protest at alleged abuse by prison authorities, the regional prosecutor’s office said today.

The protest, which occurred last night in a prison in Lgov near the border with Ukraine, saw 260 prisoners use razor blades to inflict wounds on themselves, said spokeswoman Tatyana Severilova. She added that the protesters suffered only light injuries.

The inmates cut their veins in their wrists and necks, news agencies reported, quoting law enforcement officials.

The prosecution spokeswoman said a criminal inquiry had been opened against the prison administration for abuse of authority.

Russian human rights campaigners believe up to 500 prisoners were involved in the protest, news reports said.

“We decided to send several human rights campaigners to Lgov to collect more information about what happened,” said Lev Ponomaryov, the head of the All-Russian Public Movement for Human Rights.