Prisoners resort to self-mutilation in protest at beatings

The Vinnytsa Human Rights Group has reported that prisoners at the Pishchanska Corrective Colony No. 59 in the Vinnytsa region have resorted to self-mutilation in protest over a mass beating. 

It says that it has received information that on 3 November a unit of Vinnytsa Regional Penal Institution officers was deployed. Supposedly carrying out a search of the living area, the men, wearing masks, are alleged to have beaten prisoners up en masse, mainly those in the high-security zone.

The information suggests that in protest at the physical violence and psychological pressure, a group of prisoners slashed their arms and stomachs. Two prisoners are believed to be seriously injured.